I was once praying very earnestly to
know the time of the coming of the Son of Man, when I heard a voice repeat the
following: Joseph, my son, if thou livest until thou art eighty-five years old,
thou shalt see the face of the Son of Man; therefore let this suffice, and
trouble me no more on this matter. I was left thus, without being able to
decide whether this coming referred to the beginning of the millennium or to
some previous appearing, or whether I should die and thus see his face. I
believe the coming of the Son of Man will not be any sooner than that time.
(D&C 130:14-17)
During the Logan Temple Lectures, June 2, 1888, John Edward Taylor (1830-1910) taught the following concerning Joseph Smith's teachings in D&C 130:14-17 and Joseph being promised to see Jesus if he lived to be 85 years of age:
We wish next to speak upon another
great and important event which Prophets, Apostles and righteous men have made
their theme from the earliest periods of this earth's history, viz., the second
coming of Christ, at which time will be developed powers in connection with the
great principle of the resurrection that are altogether beyond our conception.
For then not only will the worthy dead be raised, but the Saints who are alive
will be quickened, so as to enable them to meet Him in the air as He shall descend
with an innumerable throng composed of those who have been valiant for the
truth in all the ages past, and have already received their resurrection. The
signs of the near approach of the coming of our Savior are certainly
unmistakable; but the exact time we cannot determine. Some Latter-day Saints
have expressed themselves in a very positive manner upon this point, and have
based their sayings upon statements made by Joseph the Prophet, to which we
will refer.
On the fourteenth day of February,
1835, the members of Zion's Camp assembled in Kirtland by the commandment of
God and were then addressed by Joseph Smith, who, among other things, said
"it was the will of God that they should be ordained to the ministry, and
go forth to prune the vineyard for the last time, or the coming of the Lord,
which was nigh, even fifty-six years should wind up the scene." At one
time, Joseph says, he was praying to know concerning the coming of the Son of
Man, when he heard a voice repeat the following words: "Joseph, my son, if
thou livest until thou art eighty-five years old, thou shalt see the face of
the Son of Man; therefore let this suffice, and trouble me no more on this
matter." Joseph says concerning this: "I was left thus in doubt,
without being able to decide whether this coming referred to the beginning of
the Millennium, or to some previous appearing, or whether I should die and thus
see His face. I believe the coming of the Son of Man will not be any sooner
than that time." Had Joseph lived until December 23rd, 1890, he would then
have been eighty-five years of age. The fifty-six years spoken of that should
wind up the scene will terminate February 14th, 1891.
While these are very important
sayings, they are to some extent ambiguous, and require further explanation, if
not further revelation, to make them plain. And when the Prophet himself
expresses doubt upon one of them, as to what was really meant, it would
certainly be presumptuous on my part to conclude that it is sufficiently
explicit to base a decision upon. In regard to the fifty-six years just alluded
to might it not be interpreted to mean that the fulness of the Gentiles should
then come in; or does the expression refer only to the second coming of Christ?
These are questions I do not feel myself competent to answer. Jesus says:
"But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no not the angels in heaven, but
my Father only" (Matt. 24:36). The new translation says, "Neither the
Son but the Father only." (John Edward Taylor, "The
Resurrection," June 2, 1888, in Collected Discourses, ed. Brian
Stuy, 5 vols. [Sandy: B. H. S. Publishing, 1987], 1:137-38)
In
other words, Joseph was not necessarily teaching when the Parousia
(Second Coming of Christ) would take place and it would not be wise for
Latter-day Saints in 1888 (or today) to read into the Prophet’s words an attempt
to predict the date thereof.
Further
Reading:
Did Joseph Smith Predict that the Second Coming would happen in 1890/91?
Resources on Joseph Smith's Prophecies