Some have argued that the following is a false prophecy:
And as I said unto
Abraham concerning the kindreds of the earth, even so I say unto my servant Joseph:
In thee and in thy seed shall the kindred of the earth be blessed. (D&C
124:58)
How can this be fulfilled if Joseph Smith III et al.,
belonged to the RLDS Church (now Community of Christ)?
Firstly, if one takes “seed” here as biological
offspring, it can be answered by the very next verse:
Therefore, let my servant
Joseph and his seed after him have place in that house, from generation to
generation, forever and ever, saith the Lord. (D&C 124:59)
It is conditional. It is not an absolute
prophecy of what will happen, no ifs, ands, or buts about it.
However, there is potentially more to this passage.
Note how the verse says “as I said unto Abraham.” This is not just a reference
to the biblical narratives, but also the Book of Abraham. Note how “seed” is
used (1) in an adoptive sense and (2) also a biological sense:
And I will make of
thee a great nation, and I will bless thee above measure, and make thy name
great among all nations, and thou shalt be a blessing unto thy seed after thee,
that in their hands they shall bear this ministry and Priesthood unto all nations;
And I will bless them through thy name; for as many as receive this Gospel
shall be called after thy name, and shall be accounted thy seed, and shall rise
up and bless thee, as their father; And I will bless them that less thee, and
curse them that curse thee; and in thee (that is, in thy Priesthood) and in thy
seed (that is, thy Priesthood), for I give unto thee a promise that this right
shall continue in thee, and in thy seed after thee (that is to say, the literal
seed, or the seed of the body) shall all the families of the earth be blessed,
even with the blessings of the Gospel, which are the blessing of salvation,
even of life eternal. . . . (Abraham 2:9-11)
A distinction between (adopted) “seed” and one’s biological
progeny also found in D&C 130:30-31:
Abraham received
promises concerning his seed, and of the fruit of his loins-- from whose loins
ye are, namely, my servant Joseph-- which were to continue so long as they were
in the world; and as touching Abraham and his seed, out of the world they should
continue; both in the world and out of the world should they continue as
innumerable as the stars; or, if ye were to count the sand upon the seashore ye
could not number them. This promise is yours also, because ye are of Abraham,
and the promise was made unto Abraham; and by this law is the continuation of
the works of my Father, wherein he glorifieth himself.
Compare the above with D&C 84:33-34, again,
supporting the “seed by adoption” reading:
For whoso is
faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and
the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of
their bodies. They become the sons of Moses, and of Aaron, and the seed of
Abraham, and the church and kingdom, and the elect of God.
Interpreting “seed” in D&C 124:58, whether in
whole or at least in part, as a reference to the “adopted” seed of Joseph
Smith, his seed has indeed “the kindred of the earth” has been blessed with the
Restored Gospel and the blessings thereof.
This “adoption” reading seems to inform the following
from President Russell M. Nelson in his April 1995 General Conference talk:
Precisely as
promised, the Master appeared in these latter days to renew the Abrahamic covenant.
To the Prophet Joseph Smith the Lord declared: “Abraham received promises concerning
his seed, and the fruit of his lions—from whose lions ye are, . . . my servant
Joseph. . . . This promise if yours also, because ye are of Abraham.” (D&C
132:30–31. The Lord also told the Prophet Joseph Smith: “As I said unto Abraham
concerning the kindreds of the earth, even so I say unto my servant Joseph: In
thee and in thy seed shall the kindred of the earth be blessed” (D&C
124:58).)
We are also
children of the covenant. We have received, as did they of old, the holy priesthood
and the everlasting gospel. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are our ancestors. We are
of Israel. We have the right to receive the gospel, blessings of the priesthood,
and eternal life. Nations of the earth will be blessed by our efforts and by
the labors of out posterity. The literal seed of Abraham and those who are
gathered into his family by adoption receive these promised blessings—predicated
upon acceptance of the Lord and obedience to the commandments. (Russell M.
Nelson, “Children of the Covenant”
[April 1995])
Compare the above
with his October 2006 General Conference talk:
To us the honored name of Abraham is important. It is mentioned
in more verses of Scripture of the Restoration than in all verses of the Bible.
Abraham is linked to all members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints. The Lord reaffirmed the Abrahamic covenant in our day through the
Prophet Joseph Smith. In the temple we receive our ultimate blessings, as the seed
of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (“The
Gathering of Scattered Israel” [October 2006])
In notes 23 and
24 of the above paragraph, the following texts are referenced:
D&C 124:58;
132:31-32; 84:33-40; 132:19; Abraham 2:11.
D&C 124:58 is
therefore not a false prophecy, no matter how you cut it.
Further
Reading:
