In his article, Joseph Smith as a Prophet, Richard Packham offered the following example of a purportedly false prophecy of Joseph Smith:
PEACE
AND KNOWLEDGE: Sept 21, 1823. Joseph Smith says in the Pearl of Great Price,
Joseph Smith 2:40, that Moroni told him that Isaiah 11 was "about to be
fulfilled." Isaiah 11:6-11 prophesies that the wolf and the lamb, the calf
and the lion, etc. shall dwell in peace together, and that nothing will
"hurt or destroy," and that the earth shall be "full of the
knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea."
FULFILLED?:
None of this has yet come to pass.
In response, Jeff Linday
noted that
.
. . Isaiah 11 is a prophecy about many things that would occur before and after
the return of Christ. To say that it is about to be fulfilled is like saying
that the Second Coming of Christ is about to happen - and we stand firmly
behind that prophecy. It hasn't been fulfilled yet, but in the Lord's
timetable, it will happen in this era, shortly after the time of Joseph Smith,
and even many Christians agree that we are in the time span in which the Second
Coming is a real possibility - that the Second Coming is "about" to
occur. Could be another 50 or 100 years, but we're still at the door of this
great event.
How
can Is. 11 be cited as the best example of an incorrect prophecy when there has
not been sufficient time for its fulfillment but when numerous indications
associated with its future fulfillment are coming to pass?
While
Isaiah 11 speaks of Christ as the Branch and rod of Jesse in verses 1 to 4, it
also speaks of a "root of Jesse" - another person also descended from
Jesse - who would establish an ensign that would bring in the Gentiles and play
a role in the gathering of scattered Israel (verse 10-12). This could very well
be Joseph Smith. The restored Church of Jesus Christ truly is an ensign that
has been sought out by many of the Gentiles and that is seeking out the
scattered remnants of Israel and bringing them back into the covenants of the
Lord. This part has already been fulfilled.
Commenting on the aspects of Isa
11 that have been fulfilled, and the ongoing fulfillment of Moroni’s words to
Joseph Smith, John F. Fowles wrote the following:
Isaiah 11 and Moroni
The
reader will recall, that after Mormon died, his son Moroni, became the
custodian of the golden plates. It was his mission to deliver them to Joseph
Smith. Moroni, during his first “interview” with Joseph on September 21, 1823,
quoted the “eleventh chapter of Isaiha, saying that it was about to be
fulfilled.” (JS—H 1:40) Later, in August of 1830, Joseph received a revelation
from the Lord regarding his angelic tutor, “Moroni, whom I have sent unto you
to reveal the Book of Mormon, containing the fulness of my everlasting gospel,
to whom I have committed the keys of the record of the stick of Ephraim.”
(D&C 27:5) The passages Moroni quoted to the prophet that September evening
spoke of a “root of Jesse.” (See Isaiah 11:1, 10-12) This root of Jesse would
stand as an ensign to the people in order to recover Israel a “second time.” The
Book of Mormon was the sign of the Lord’s attempt to gather Israel a second
time in the last days. (See 3 Nephi 21:1-2)
In
1838, Joseph Smith interpreted the root of Jesse as a “descendant of Jesse, as
well as of Joseph, (See 2 Nephi 3:7-15) unto whom rightly belongs the
priesthood, and the keys of the kingdom, for an ensign and for the gathering of
my people in the last days.” (D&C 113:6) Joseph Smith received the
priesthood through the lineage of his fathers as the Lord stated:
.
. . your life [Joseph Smith] and the priesthood have remained, and must needs
remain through you and your lineage until the restoration of all things spoken
by the mouths of all the holy prophets since the world began.
Therefore,
blessed are ye if ye continue in my goodness, a light unto the Gentiles, and
throughout this priesthood, a savior unto my people Israel. (D&C 86:10-11)
Joseph
Smith received the priesthood, and the keys of the kingdom, in order to bring
forth the Book of Mormon to the Gentiles in our day. He and the Lord’s saving
message was a light to the Gentiles. The coming forth of the Book of Mormon represented
the Lord’s attempt to gather Israel a second time from their long spiritual, as
well as temporal, scattering among the nations. In addition, if they—the Gentiles—receive
the Book of Mormon they will also receive salvation. (See D&C 20:8-14)
These verses in Isaiah 11, quoted by Moroni to the boy Joseph stand fulfilled. (John
L. Fowles, The Farm Boy Does it Again: Evidence of the Prophetic Calling of
Joseph Smith [John L. Fowles, 2018], 67-69)
Further Reading:
Resources on Joseph Smith's Prophecies
