Prophecy

Prophecy is inspired words from God, given through a prophet that tells of some future event. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or Mormon Church holds that the purpose of all the prophets and scripture is to lead men to Christ:

And the things which are upon these plates pleasing me, because of the prophecies of the coming of Christ; and my fathers knowing that many of them have been fulfilled; yea, and I also know that as many things as have been prophesied concerning us down to this day have been fulfilled, and as many as go beyond this day must surely come to pass—

And I do this for a wise purpose; for thus it whispereth me, according to the workings of the Spirit of the Lord which is in me. And now, I do not know all things; but the Lord knoweth all things which are to come; wherefore, he worketh in me to do according to his will (Words of Mormon 1:4, 7).

Prophecies that shortly come to pass

Many prophecies are found in scripture and may tell of something which will occur shortly thereafter or far into the future. Prophecies are meant both to inform and to warn. Some prophecies are conditional, as the following words of Joshua to the Israelites:

Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among you, and shall make marriages with them, and go in unto them, and they to you:

Know for a certainty that the Lord your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the Lord your God hath given you (Joshua 23:12, 13).

Old Testament prophets testified of events shortly to come to pass and then prophesied of millennial events in the same breath. Isaiah warned of the imminent approach of the Assyrian conquerers and then foretold of a triumphant regathering of Israel some 2700 years in the future:

Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.

And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city (Isaiah 1:7, 8).

And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city (Isaiah 1:26).

The Prophet Joseph Smith received many revelations, not only for the organizing of the Church, but as prophecies for the future. One famous prophecy that shortly came to pass is recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants, Section 87 [1], which was received in December, 1832:

Verily, thus saith the Lord concerning the wars that will shortly come to pass, beginning at the rebellion of South Carolina, which will eventually terminate in the death and misery of many souls;

And the time will come that war will be poured out upon all nations, beginning at this place.

For behold, the Southern States shall be divided against the Northern States, and the Southern States will call on other nations, even the nation of Great Britain, as it is called, and they shall also call upon other nations, in order to defend themselves against other nations; and then war shall be poured out upon all nations.

And it shall come to pass, after many days, slaves shall rise up against their masters, who shall be marshaled and disciplined for war.

And it shall come to pass also that the remnants (Indians, or Lamanites) who are left of the land will marshal themselves, and shall become exceedingly angry, and shall vex the Gentiles with a sore vexation.

Prophecies of the Coming of Christ

Prophecies of the birth of Christ are found in the Old Testament, but they are often obscure. Book of Mormon prophets, however, constantly foretold the birth, mission, death, and resurrection of Christ many years before His birth:

For, for this intent have we written these things, that they may know that we knew of Christ, and we had a hope of his glory many hundred years before his coming; and not only we ourselves had a hope of his glory, but also all the holy prophets which were before us.

Behold, they believed in Christ and worshiped the Father in his name, and also we worship the Father in his name. And for this intent we keep the law of Moses, it pointing our souls to him; and for this cause it is sanctified unto us for righteousness, even as it was accounted unto Abraham in the wilderness to be obedient unto the commands of God in offering up his son Isaac, which is a similitude of God and his Only Begotten Son.

Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea (Jacob 4:4-6).

And it came to pass that I saw the heavens open; and an angel came down and stood before me; and he said unto me: Nephi, what beholdest thou?

And I said unto him: A virgin, most beautiful and fair above all other virgins.

And he said unto me: Knowest thou the condescension of God?

And I said unto him: I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.

And he said unto me: Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh.

And it came to pass that I beheld that she was carried away in the Spirit; and after she had been carried away in the Spirit for the space of a time the angel spake unto me, saying: Look!

And I looked and beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms.

And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father (1 Nephi 11:14-21)!

And the angel said unto me again: Look and behold the condescension of God!

And I looked and beheld the Redeemer of the world, of whom my father had spoken; and I also beheld the prophet who should prepare the way before him. And the Lamb of God went forth and was baptized of him; and after he was baptized, I beheld the heavens open, and the Holy Ghost come down out of heaven and abide upon him in the form of a dove.

And I beheld that he went forth ministering unto the people, in power and great glory; and the multitudes were gathered together to hear him; and I beheld that they cast him out from among them.

And I beheld multitudes of people who were sick, and who were afflicted with all manner of diseases, and with devils and unclean spirits; and the angel spake and showed all these things unto me. And they were healed by the power of the Lamb of God; and the devils and the unclean spirits were cast out.

And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me again, saying: Look! And I looked and beheld the Lamb of God, that he was taken by the people; yea, the Son of the everlasting God was judged of the world; and I saw and bear record.

And I, Nephi, saw that he was lifted up upon the cross and slain for the sins of the world (1 Nephi 11:26-28, 31-33).

Last Days Prophecies

The prophecies of John the Beloved found in the biblical Book of Revelation, and the words of Ezekiel and other Old Testament prophets, yield some information regarding the events that will precede the second coming of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. These prophecies are often as frightening as they are obscure, since they are difficult to attach to actual events transpiring today, as the earth approaches the assumed dates of Christ's return. Last days prophecies are not only found in the Bible. The Doctrine and Covenants contains last days prophecies, and they are often more clear than in the Bible.

• For a trump shall sound both long and loud, even as upon Mount Sinai, and all the earth shall quake, and they shall come forth—yea, even the dead which died in me, to receive a crown of righteousness, and to be clothed upon, even as I am, to be with me, that we may be one.

But, behold, I say unto you that before this great day shall come the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall be turned into blood, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and there shall be greater signs in heaven above and in the earth beneath;

And there shall be weeping and wailing among the hosts of men;

And there shall be a great hailstorm sent forth to destroy the crops of the earth (Doctrine and Covenants 29:13-16).

• And this I have told you concerning Jerusalem; and when that day shall come, shall a remnant be scattered among all nations;

But they shall be gathered again; but they shall remain until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

And in that day shall be heard of wars and rumors of wars, and the whole earth shall be in commotion, and men’s hearts shall fail them, and they shall say that Christ delayeth his coming until the end of the earth.

And the love of men shall wax cold, and iniquity shall abound.

And when the times of the Gentiles is come in, a light shall break forth among them that sit in darkness, and it shall be the fulness of my gospel;

But they receive it not; for they perceive not the light, and they turn their hearts from me because of the precepts of men.

And in that generation shall the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

And there shall be men standing in that generation, that shall not pass until they shall see an overflowing scourge; for a desolating sickness shall cover the land (Doctrine and Covenants 45:24-31).

Patriarchal Blessings

Patriarchal blessings are given by stake patriarchs to worthy individuals. A person typically receives only one patriarchal blessing, usually in his late teens, to guide him into the future. A patriarchal blessing contains prophecy that is personal and sacred for the receiver, and that is specific to the person's life and progress.

It has been said that a patriarchal blessing is a “ ‘[paragraph] from the book of your possibilities.’ If we read our patriarchal blessings, we will see what the spirit of prophecy has held up to us as to what each of us can become.”

An essential part of a patriarchal blessing is the declaration of lineage. By careful study of the scriptures, a patriarch becomes familiar with the patriarchal order. He learns the destiny of the tribes of Israel.

Then, the patriarch, looking into the future, enumerates the blessings and promises, some special, others general, to which the person of the proper lineage [as an Israelite, by descendency or adoption] … is entitled; and through his authority seals them upon him, so that they may be his forever through faithfulness.