In his journal entry for June 15, 1878, Wilford Woodruff recorded a vision he received on December 16, 1877. It includes a specific reference to Isa 4:1 and shows that he did not understand it as a prophecy of the restoration of polygamy, but instead, plural marriage being practiced due to warfare, destruction, and the resulting lack of marriageable men for faithful women:
A
Vision
Salt
Lake City, Night of Dec 16, 1877
I
[blank] went to bed at my Usual hour half past nine oclok I had been reading
the Revolations in the French Language, my mind was calm, more so than usual if
possible to be so. I composed myself for sleep but could not sleep. I felt a
strange stupor come over me and apparently became partially Unconscious. still
I was not asleep, nor awoke With a strange far away dreamy feelings the first I
recognized was that I was in the Tabernacle
at
Ogden sitting on the back seat in the cornor for
fear
they would call upon me to Preach which after singing the second time, they did
by calling me to the stand I arose to speak and said I did not Know that I had
any thing special to say Except to bear my Testimony to the Truth of the Latter
Day work when all at once it seemed as though I was lifted out of myself, and I
said "yes I have sumthing to say, it is this– some of my brethren present
have been asking me what is coming to pass, what is the wind blowing up. I will
answer you right here what is coming to pass shortly. I was immediately in,
Salt Lake City wandering about the streets in all parts of the
city
and On the door of every house I found a badge of mourning, and I could not
find a house but what was in mourning. I passed by my own house and saw the
same sigm there, and asked "Is that me that is dead" Sumthing gave me
answer "No youll live through it all" It seemed strange to me that I
saw no person [on] the street in my wandering about through the City. they
seemed to be in their houses with their Sick and Dead. I saw no funeral
possess- ion, or any thing of that kind, but the City looked vary still and
quiet as though the people were praying and had controll of the desease what
ever it was I then looked in all directions over the Territory, East
West
North and South, and I found the same mourn- ing in every place throughout the
Land. The next I knew I was Just this side of Omaha. It seemed
as
though I was above the Earth, looking down to it as I passed along on my way
East and I saw the roads full of people principally women with just what they
could carry in bundles on therir backs
travelling
to the mountains on foot, and I wond- ered how they could get there, with
nothing but a small pack upon their backs. It was remarkable to me that there
were so few men among them, it did not seem as though the cars were running The
rails looked rusty, and the road abandoned, And I have no conception how I
travelled myself As I looked down upon the people I continued Eastward through
Omaha and Council Bluffs which were
full
of disease, and women every whare The States of Missouri and Illinois were in
turmoil and strife,
Men
killing each other, and women joining in the fight, family against family
cutting each other to peaieces in the most horrid manner. The next I
saw
was Washington, and I found the City a
Desolation.
The white House Empty, the Halls of Con- gress the same. Every thing in ruins
the people seemed to have fled from the city and left it to take care of
itself. I was next in the City of Baltimore
and
in the square whare the Monument of 1812
stands,
in front of St Charles and other Hotels I saw the Dead piled up so high as to
fill the square I saw Mothers cut the throats of their own children for the
sake of their blood, which they drank from their veins, to quench their thirst
and then lie down and die. The waters of the Chesapeake and of the city were so
stagnant and
such
a stench arose from them on account of the putrefaction of Dead bodies that the
vary smell caused death, and that was singular again I saw no man except they
were dead, lying in the streets, and vary few women, and they were crazy mad,
and in a dying condition Every whare I went I beheld the same all over the
city, And it was horrible beyound description to look at. I thought this must
be the End. But No I was seemingly in Philadelphia and there every-
thing
was still no living soul was to be seen to greet me, and it seemed as though
the whole city was without an inhabitant. In arch and chestnut Street and in
fact Every whare I went the putrifaction of the Dead bodies caused such a
stench that it was Impossible for any creature to Exhist alive, nor did I see
any living thing in the City I next found myself in Broadway New York and here
it
seemed
the people had done their best to overcome the Disease. But in wandering down
Broadway I saw the bodies of Beautiful women lying stone dead, and others in a
dying condition on the side walk. I saw men crawl out of the cellars and rob
the dead bodies of the valuables they had on and before they could return to
their coverts in the cellars they themselves would roll over a time or towo
and die in agony. On some of the back streets
I
saw Mothers kill their own children and Eat raw flesh and then in a few minuts
die themselves. Whareever I went I saw the same scenes of Horror and Desolation
rapine and Death. No Horses or carriages, No busses or street cars, but Death
and Destruction every whare I then went to the Grand Central Park and looking
back I saw a fire start and just at that moment a mighty East wind sprang up and
carried the flames West over the City, and it burned untill there was
not
a single building left standing whole Even down to the wharfs, and the shiping
all seemed to be burned and swallowed up in the common destruction and left
Nothing but a Desolation whare the great City was a short time before. The
stench from the bodies that were burning was so great that it was carried a
great distance across the Hudson River
and
bay, and thus spread deisease and death wha-
reever
the flames penetrated. I cannot paint in words the Horror that seemed to
Encompass me around It was beyound description or thought of man
to
conceive. I supposed this was the End but I was here given to understand, that
the same horror was being enacted all over the country. North South East and
West, that few were left alive still there were some Immediately after I seemed
to be standing on the west bank of the Missouri River opposite the city at
Independance
but
I saw no city I saw the whole States of Miss-
ouri
& Illinois and part of Iowa were a com-
plete
wilderness with no living human being in them. I then saw a short distance from
the river Twelve men dressed in the robes of the Temple standing in a square or
nearly so. I understood it resprese- nted the Twelve gates of the New Jerrusalem,
and they were with hands uplifted consecrating the ground and laying the Corner
Stones. I saw myriads of Angels hovering over them and around about them and
also an immens pillar of a cloud over them and I heard the singing of the most
beautif[ul] music the words "Now is esstablished the Kingdom of our God
and his Christ and He shall reign forever and Ever, and the Kingdom shall never
be Thrown down for the Saints have overcome" and I saw people coming from
the River and different places
a
long way off to help build the Temple, and it seemed that the Hosts of angels
also helped to get the material to build the Temple, and I saw some come who
wore their Temple Clothing Rob[e]s to help build the
Temple
and the city and all the time I saw the great pillar of cloud hovering over the
place Instantly I found I was in the Tabernacle at
Ogden
yet I could see the building going on and
got
quite animated in calling to the people in the Tabernacle to listen to the
beautiful music that the Angels were Making. I called to them to look at the
Angels as the House seemed to be full of them and they were saying the same
words that I heard Before "Now is the Kingdom of Our God Esstablished
forever & Ever.["] and then a voice said "Now shall come to pass
that which was spoken by Isaiah the Prophet "That seven women shall take
hold of one man saying &c At this time I seemed to stagger back from the
pulpit & F D Richards and some one els caught me and prevented
me
from falling when I requested Brother Richards to apologise to the audience for
me because I stoped so adruptly and tell them I had not fainted but was
exhausted I rolled over in my bed and heard the City Hall clock Strike Twelve
