Tuesday, March 28, 2023

Joseph Smith's March 10, 1844 Discourse Concerning William Miller and the Parousia

Joseph Smith, in his discourse dated March 10, 1844, made comments about the Parousia (Second Coming) against William Miller and indicates he did not believe Christ would come until at least 1890/91:


Wilford Woodruff account:


But I take the responsibility upon myself to prophesy in the name of the Lord that Christ will not come this year as [William] Miller has prophecyed for we have seen the bow. And I also Prophecy in the name of the Lord that Christ will not come in forty years & if God ever spake by my mouth he will not come in that length of time & Jesus Christ never did reveal to any man the precise time that he would come go & read the scriptures & you cannot find any thing that specifies the exact he would come & all that say so are fals teachers Their are some important things concerning the office of the Mesiah in the organization of the worlds which I will speak of hereafter. May God Almighty bless you & pour out his spirit upon you is the prayer of your unworthy servant Amen


Thomas Bullock account:


the Rainbow is a sign for seed time and harvest when the Rainbow is not to be seen— it is a sign of the commencement of famine— & pestilence &c &c and that the coming of the Messiah is not far distant the Messiah will not come this year— upsets Millerites the Messiah will not come for 40 years— and he told the people to write it— a very large & attentive congregation—


Willard Richards account:


The Savior will not come this year. <nor 40 year to come.>


The bow has been seen in the cloud & in that year that the bow is seen seed time and harvest will be. but when the bow ceases to be seen look out for a famine.


James Burgess account:


Revelation given through Joseph Smith in answer to a certain question Son of Man if you live untill you are 85 years of age you shall see the face of the Son of Man and so long as you see the rainbow stretching across the heavens there will be seed time and harvest and the Son of man will not come that year.


We find the following mathematical equation from Burgess on the same page:


Joseph Smith was born in the year

1805

85

1890


Further Reading: