And the time will come that war
will be poured out upon all nations, beginning at this place. For behold, the
Southern States shall be divided against the Northern States, and the Southern
States will call on other nations, even the nation of Great Britain, as it is
called, and they shall also call upon other nations, in order to defend
themselves against other nations; and then war shall be poured out upon all
nations. . . . Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the
day of the Lord come; for behold, it cometh quickly, saith the Lord. Amen.
(D&C 87:2-3, 8)
Commenting on D&C 87:2-3, 8:
The gospel is the means of saving
the house of Israel from the famine of which Amos spoke (Amos 8:11) and of
judging the nations (2 Ne. 25:22-23). The Lord promised that all kindreds of
the earth would be blessed with the blessings of the gospel through the seed of
Abraham (1 Ne. 22:9; Abr. 2:11). This could not happen unless the Lord would
make bare his arm in the eyes of all nations; therefore, the Lord God would do
so in his due time (1 Ne. 22:10-11; Is. 52:10; Rev. 11:6-13; D&C 1:14;
45:44-48; 88:88-93; 90:9-10).
To date wars have served to open
the doors of nations for the preaching of the gospel. World Wars I and II were
in partial fulfillment of Joseph Smith’s 1832 prophecy on war. War began
to be poured out upon all nations in World War I after Great Britain
called upon other nations to defend itself against other nations. World War I
began precisely 70 years after the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith. These
70 years reference the eventual reunification of Judah and
Ephraim. Seventy years from Thursday, AD 27 Jume 1844, brings us to Sunday, AD
27 June 1914. The next day, on Monday, AD 28 June 1914, Ferdinand and Sophie,
duchess of Hohenberg, were assassinated while driving through the streets of
Sarejevo. This event triggered World War I. This date was 2520 years from the
time Daniel was taken captive into Babylon. Forty-two months (3.5 years
or 1260 days) after the 1st World War was triggered Jerusalem was redeemed
for the political return of the Jews (Rev. 13:5; cf. p. 105). (M.
Garfield Cook, Cornerstones of the Restoration: A Message Extracted From a
Genealogical Record [rev ed.; Salt Lake City: Hiller Book Binders, 1999], 94-95)
Joseph Smith prophesied that the
wars leading up to the Second Coming began in South Carolina (D&C 87:1-2,
6-8). Civil War in the United States began on AD 12 April 1861. The Southern
States called upon Great Britain to help defend themselves from the Northern
States as prophesied. The Prophet said further that war would be poured out
upon all nations when Great Britain called upon other nations to defend itself
against other nations (D&C 87:3; cf. 1 Ne. 14:16). This occurred beginning
in World War I. (M. Garfield Cook, Cornerstones of the Restoration: A
Message Extracted From a Genealogical Record [rev ed.; Salt Lake City:
Hiller Book Binders, 1999], 98)
Further Reading:
