In a
letter to Lyman Wright and other members of the high council of the Church,
August 16, 1834, Joseph Smith taught that:
And I would recomend to brother Wight to enter
complaints to the Govonor as of ten as he receves any insults or injury, and
in case that they procede to endeaver to take life or tear down homes, and
if the citizens of Clay co, do not befriend us to gather up the little army and
be set over Immediately into Jackson County and trust in God and do the worst
<best> he can in defending maintaining the ground, but in case the
excitement continues to be allayed and peace prevails use every effort to
prevail on the churches to gather to those regions and situate themselves to be
in readiness to move into Jackson Co. in two years from the Eleventh of
September next which is the appointed time for the redemption of Zion, If Verely
If I say unto you If the Church with one united effort perform
their duties If they do this the work shall be complete If they do not this
in all humility making preperation from this time forth like Joseph in
Egypt laying up store against the time of famine every man having his tent, his
horses, his charrots [chariots] his armory his cattle his family and his whole
substance in readiness against the time <when> it shall be said To
your tents O Isreal!! and let not this be noised abroad let every heart
beat in silence and every mouth be shut
This is often
understood as a false prophecy of Joseph Smith. However, notice that (1)
it is not said “in the name of the Lord” or similar verbiage (the closest thing is
the use of “appointed time”) and (2) the many conditional statements contained
therein. Clearly, this is not an example of a prophecy that failed due to various
contingencies being met and disrupted due to the free-will actions of agents
involved (e.g., Mic 3:12; cf. Jer 26:18-19) let alone a false prophecy.
Instead, this was a conditional promise that did not materialize due to
the failure of the saints to do all that was commanded and to such “in all
humility.”
Further Reading:
