Thursday, April 9, 2020

The Treaty of London (1915) and D&C 87:3


Commenting D&C 87:3, one LDS apologist wrote:

What about the wars that would follow the U.S. Civil War? Consider verse 3: " . . . the Southern States will call on other nations, even the nation of Great Britain, as it is called, and they (Great Britain) shall also call upon other nations, in order to defend themselves against other nations; and then war shall be poured out upon all nations." war would not be poured out on all nations until Great Britain would call on other nations for help, "then" ("after that") war would be poured out on all nations as predicted by the phrase "then war shall be poured out upon all nations . . ." This is the end of the matter for me. The prophecy was fulfilled. The Lord got it right.

Following the U.S. Civil War, Great Britain called on other nations for help twice, first in the First World War, and then (next) in the Second World War. The Treaty of London, signed on April 26, 1915, demonstrates that England was calling on other nations for the purpose of defense when World War I was brewing. This war grew in scope until most of the nations of the Earth were involved. Before the USA entered the war, the USA was shipping materials and supplies to the British. Indeed, the torpedoing of the luxury liner Lusitania by a German U-boat was considered a crime against humanity, but in truth, the ship was carrying war materials from the USA to Britain, as were other ships. Great Britain did call on other nations for help:

26 April, 1915
The Treaty of London (Extracts)
Great Britain, Parliamentary Papers, London,
1920, LI Cmd. 671, Miscellaneous No. 7, 2-7.
(The Treaty of London was signed on April 26, 1915).
ARTICLE 1 - A military convention shall be immediately concluded between the General Staffs of France, Great Britain, Italy, and Russia. This convention shall settle the minimum number of military forces to be employed by Russia against Austria-Hungary in order to prevent that Power from concentrating all its strength against Italy in the event of Russia deciding to direct her principal effort against Germany . . .
ARTICLE 2 - On her part, Italy undertakes to use her entire resources for the purpose of waging war jointly with France, Great Britain, and Russia against all their enemies . . . (Treaty of London)

Truly, Great Britain called upon France, Italy, Russia, and eventually the USA for help in the war against Austria-Hungary and Germany. It may well be argued that every nation on earth was not involved in the First World War. However, the point can be made that since that time nearly every nation has been involved in war or has been seriously impacted by war. (Eldon V. Guymon, Do Mormons Have Prophets? [2009], locations 270-290 of 2693 in kindle ed.)

Further Reading



The Treaty of London (1915)