Tuesday, August 23, 2022

"Growth fulfills prophecy" (Church News, February 11, 1989) and Wilford Woodruff's April 1898 Recollection of a Prophecy of Joseph Smith

  

Being familiar with prophecies made by Joseph Smith about the future of the Church and comparing them with actual progress is one more way for Church members to know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God.

 

This is the message delivered Jan. 29 by Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Council of the Twelve, who spoke at the Institute of Religion at Utah State University's annual Joseph Smith Memorial Lecture ."Today we see the fulfillment of what the Prophet was shown about the growth of the Church," said Elder Ballard.

 

The apostle, whose ancestry goes back to the Prophet's older brother, Hyrum, told the audience of 2,500 people that he often thinks of his forefathers. "I find myself asking the question, `Am I doing all I can to move forward this great work that they helped to start more than 168 years ago?' "

 

In his address, Elder Ballard related some of the persecutions and trials faced by the Prophet Joseph and other early Church leaders. He used statistics to show how the Church has grown through the decades, slowly at first, and then more quickly, with the numbers of missionaries and baptisms doubling and tripling in the last few years.

 

"We must never forget Joseph Smith's perseverance in the face of incredible hardship and opposition to bring forth the priesthood, new scriptures, complete doctrines, full ordinances, and covenants to exalt men and women through membership in the restored Church," the apostle advised.

 

Elder Ballard also shared an incident from early Church history that had been recorded by Wilford Woodruff. The elders in the Church were gathering in Kirtland, Ohio, to prepare to travel to Missouri and rescue saints who were being heavily persecuted there. In a meeting, many elders stood and shared their testimonies. Afterwards, the Prophet spoke.

 

" `Brethren, I have been very much edified and instructed in your testimonies here tonight,' " Elder Ballard quoted Joseph Smith as saying. "But I want to say to you before the Lord that you know no more concerning the destinies of this Church and kingdom than a babe upon its mother's lap. You don't comprehend it.'

 

"You will detect in this statement by Joseph Smith no element of cautious forecasting," observed Elder Ballard. "He certainly did not predict future growth based on past trends. He gave a bold statement, a prophecy - given by the Spirit of the Lord to a prophet of God.

 

"To know the proclaimed vision of the work that the Church was to accomplish as declared by the Prophet Joseph Smith and to review Church growth from the Prophet's time to ours are, to me, additional reasons to know without question that he, indeed, was a prophet of God," Elder Ballard declared. (Growth fulfills prophecy, Church News, February 11, 1989)

 

As it was quoted in part in the above article, let me quote in full Wilford Woodruff’s April 8, 1898 General Conference talk:

 

In 1833 the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was driven out of Jackson County, Mo., for the word of God and testimony of Jesus Christ. There Bishop Partridge was tarred and feathered by the mob. That was the time of the falling of the stars in that country. Soon afterwards Bishop Partridge called for volunteers to go to Kirtland to see the Prophet. Two men volunteered out of those who had been driven from Jackson County. One was Parley P. Pratt and the other was Lyman Wight. They went to Kirtland and laid before the Prophet the circumstances, and the Prophet called these two men, and others, to go abroad and gather up the strength of the Lord's house and to prepare the camp of Zion. Parley P. Pratt came to my house. I had just been baptized. I was engaged for a year in furnishing lumber by contract. Parley P. Pratt told me it was my duty to lay aside all my temporal matters, go to Kirtland, and join Zion's camp. I obeyed his counsel. I arrived in Kirtland on Saturday and there met with Joseph and Hyrum Smith in the street. I was introduced to Joseph Smith. It was the first time that I had ever seen him in my life. He invited me home to spend the Sabbath with him, and I did so. They had meeting on Sunday.

 

On Sunday night the Prophet called on all who held the Priesthood to gather into the little log school house they had there. It was a small house, perhaps 14 feet square. But it held the whole of the Priesthood of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who were then in the town of Kirtland, and who had gathered together to go off in Zion's camp. That was the first time I ever saw Oliver Cowdery, or heard him speak; the first time I ever saw Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball, and the two Pratts, and Orson Hyde and many others. There were no Apostles in the Church then except Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. When we got together the Prophet called upon the Elders of Israel with him to bear testimony of this work. Those that I have named spoke, and a good many that I have not named, bore their testimonies. When they got through the Prophet said, "Brethren I have been very much edified and instructed in your testimonies here tonight, but I want to say to you before the Lord, that you know no more concerning the destinies of this Church and kingdom than a babe upon its mother's lap. You don't comprehend it." I was rather surprised. He said "it is only a little handful of Priesthood you see here tonight, but this Church will fill North and South America it will fill the world." Among other things he said, "it will fill the Rocky Mountains. There will be tens of thousands of Latter-day Saints who will be gathered in the Rocky Mountains, and there they will open the door for the establishing of the Gospel among the Lamanites, who will receive the Gospel and their endowments and the blessings of God. This people will go into the Rocky Mountains; they will there build temples to the Most High. They will raise up a posterity there, and the Latter-day Saints who dwell in these mountains will stand in the flesh until the coming of the Son of Man. The Son of Man will come to them while in the Rocky Mountains."

 

I name these things because I want to bear testimony before God, angels and men that mine eyes behold the day, and have beheld for the last fifty years of my life, the fulfillment of that prophecy. I never expected to see the Rocky Mountains when I listened to that man's voice, but I have, and do today. I will say here that I shall not live to see it, you may not live to see it; but these thousands of Latter-day Saint children that belong to the Sabbath schools, I believe many of them will stand in the flesh when the Lord Jesus Christ visits the Zion of God here in the mountains of Israel. And while I bear testimony before God, angels and men, that mine eyes behold the fulfillment of the revelation given that night, I just as much believe the remaining part of it will be fulfilled as I stand here in the flesh. I rejoice at seeing the progress of the work that lies before us. There is a great work before this people in the fulfillment of these prophecies that have been given. Joseph Smith was full of revelation. He foresaw this people, and this work until it was wound up.

 

My prayer to God is that we may pursue such a course that we may enjoy and receive all these blessings, and our posterity after us. Amen. (Conference Report, April 1898, 57-58)

 

 Further Reading:


Resources on Joseph Smith's Prophecies