Evidences and Reconciliations, 92-95

Prophecy, in the sense of the above question, is the foretelling, through divine inspiration, of coming events. Such prophecies have characterized the work of the Lord in all ages. They have been means of comforting, guiding, and warning the children of men. The Church holds fast to faith in the spirit of prophecy as a gift of the Lord.

There appear to be several types of prophecies: First, there are prophecies which in reality are statements of cause and effect. If certain things are done, certain results will flow therefrom. For example, "he that repents not, from him shall be taken even the light which he has received" (D. & C. 1:33); "where two or three are gathered together in my name, as touching one thing behold there will I be in the midst of them" (D. & C. 6:32). Holy Writ is filled with such prophecies. They need no interpretation. Their fulfillment is part of the general experience of the Church.

Second, there are occasions when the prophet, looking into the future, is able to localize coming events definitely as to time, place, or person. Such particular prophecies are fairly plentiful in sacred history. The most famous, in modern days, concerns the American Civil War. "Verily, thus saith the Lord concerning the wars that will shortly come to pass, beginning at the rebellion of South Carolina, 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, . . . to defend themselves" (D. & C. 87:1, 3). Here the coming event is linked definitely with place and country. This kind of prophecy has no need of interpretation; we wait only for its fulfillment, which is the evidence of its divine source.

Third, a prophet, looking down the stream of time, sees with spiritual eyes the panorama of future history. Such prophecies are general, in that they do not specify times, localize places, though they occasionally name individuals. This is the most common entrance of prophecy into the future. It began with Adam who "stood up in the midst of the congregation; and, notwithstanding he was bowed down with age, being full of the Holy Ghost, predicted whatsoever should befall his posterity unto the latest generation" (D. & C. 107:56). The prophecy of Enoch, the Patriarch, is an excellent illustration of this type of prophecy. In answer to his request, Enoch was shown the future of mankind generation upon generation, down to the coming of Christ, and beyond to the last days. No time or lace limits are set. We may only recognize the periods by the events as they occur (Pearl of Great Price, Moses 7:20-67). Likewise, the Prophet Joseph Smith was given visions of the last days and the events that will characterize them, but fixed time or places were seldom given (D. & C. 5:19; 29:14, 16, 18, 19, 20; 34:9; 43:22, 26, 33; 45:31, 40-42; 49:25; 63:34; 84:118; 88:87, 89, 90, 91, 97; 112:25).

The full recognition of the fulfillment of such prophecies comes as time proceeds and the predicted events unless the interpretation is given earlier by divine revelation? Sometimes foretold events actually occur without being recognized by mankind. As an illustration, when Moroni first appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith, he "quoted part of the third chapter of Malachi; and he quoted also the fourth or last chapter of the same prophecy" (Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith, 2:36), and announced that the events there set forth were about to be consummated.

Human curiosity is intrigued by whatever seems mysterious. Therefore, much effort has been expended to reduce such general prophecies to exact dates, times, and persons, This has been a waste of time and energy, as prophecy uttered under divine inspiration usually contains all that the divine will desires to reveal. It behooves those to whom the prophecy is made to prepare for coming events, to watch for them, and to recognize them when they do appear. If more is needed, the power that gave the prophecy will no doubt furnish the interpretation.

For example, modern revelation declares that these are the last days. This period of the earth's history may be recognized by several signs: The fulness of the gospel will be restored and preached to all the world (D. & C. 39:11; 1:23); work will be done for the spirits of the dead (D. & C. 76:73; 124:29-36; also D&C 127); mighty, natural events will take place, from the darkened sun to tremendous earthquakes, and the whole earth will be in commotion and many will be destroyed because of wars, pestilence, and fear. (D&C 29: 45, 49, 84, 87 88) These are also signs of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. (D. & C. 45:39) All who fear the Lord will anxiously look for these signs as they appear. (D. & C. 45:39) Yet, despite these signs, none shall know the exact time of His coming:

6 And they have done unto the Son of Man even as they listed; and he has taken his power on the right hand of his glory, and now reigneth in the heavens, and will reign till he descends on the earth to put all enemies under his feet, which time is nigh at hand --
7 I, the Lord God, have spoken it; but the hour and the day no man knoweth, neither the angels in heaven, nor shall they know until he comes.
(D. & C. 49:6, 7)

The Prophet Joseph Smith at one time prayed very earnestly to know the time of the coming of Christ. He was told that if he lived until he was eighty-five years old he should see the face of Jesus, but he was unable to determine from this whether or not it referred to the final coming of the Son of Man, or whether he should see the Savior in the flesh. (D. & C. 130:14-17)

In view of such information, attempts to fix the exact date of the coming of Christ are futile, useless, and contrary to the ways of truth. Those who try it are impelled by a spirit not of God.

The futility of reducing general prophecy to exact times or places is well illustrated by the famous visions of Daniel. It is conceded that the stone that broke the image to pieces is the Kingdom of God; but there has been and is interminable debate as to the historical kingdoms and meaning represented by the gold, silver, iron, and clay portions of the image; the horns of the beasts; the thousand, three hundred and five and thirty days; and the several other statements of Daniel. (See the Book of Daniel). Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of books have been published and tens of thousands of sermons have been preached in the attempt to interpret Daniel's prophecies. It has been a fruitless effort, at best a doubtful conjecture. There remains only the general meaning of these glorious visions: that righteousness will triumph in its battle with evil.

The present disturbed condition of the world has impelled many to look for prophecies relating to the last days. Several such compilations have been published. Quotations are made from leaders of the present, as of past dispensations. Carefully read, these statements add nothing to the prophecies recorded in our sacred books. The attempts to make them specific, such as to predict any country's downfall, or to identify certain present-day leaders with prophetic personages, are unjustified and misleading.

Even more dangerous is the attempt to connect some isolated Bible passage with an historical event or structure. The statement by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 32:20) that the Lord "has set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, even unto this day," has been made to refer to the great pyramid of Gizeh, near Cairo, Egypt. As a result, the pyramid has been measured innumerable times, inside and out; the steps in the passages have been counted; angles calculated and every item thus secured has been correlated with some year or event in the world's history. Thousands of volumes on the subject have been written, with as many varying conclusions. A different starting point in measurement, or an inch more or less in the measure, sets up an entirely new series of conclusions. The great pyramid is an interesting structure. It may have been built with some symbolism in mind. But, there is no good reason as yet to tie it into divine prophecy. Such time-wasting pursuits, leading nowhere, should be avoided.

In conclusion: prophecy may be interpreted only to the extent that it implies within its own statements that it shall be interpreted. If a prophecy is indefinite with respect to certain things, it is probably so intended. It is always wise to read and practice that which is clear and understandable, and to leave the dim and mysterious until further prophetic revelation is received. Occultism, and all manner of darkness, which too often lead to self-deception, are unacceptable to Latter-day Saints. We concern ourselves only with that which is clear and understandable. We know that with the progress of time, increasing light will come as we may have need. Moreover, we know that we should not waste our valuable time and energies on remote and doubtful matters, but rather direct our efforts towards the study and practice of the clearly stated principles of conduct embodied in the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is the direct method of obtaining light and truth, the goal of every Latter-day Saint.