From: johnson@offroad.chem.wisc.edu (Arthur Johnson)
Subject: Prophetic Interpretation (was Re: Perfect Prophets?)
Organization: Physical Sciences Lab, UW-Madison
Date: Sat, 15 Aug 92 20:36:32 GMT

In article <1992Aug14.195137.18382@newsgate.sps.mot.com>  
ACUS10@WACCVM.SPS.MOT.COM (Mark Fuller) writes:
> I fail to see any correlation between God's judgement as described by
> Ezekiel, and the false prophecies Joseph Smith gave.
> 
>   'I prophesy in the name of the Lord God that in a few years
>   this government will be utterly overthrown and wasted so that there
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^         ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>   will not be a potsherd left for their wickedness in coniving at the
>   Missouri mobocracy.'
> _William Clayton's Diary_, May 18, 1843.
>
     Taking this at face value, it seems to me that these particular  
statements refer to the specific state government of Missouri that was in  
power during the LDS persecution (since this text says "this government",  
which is specific, and not "the government", which would be more general).  
I think that a valid argument could be made that "utterly overthrown and  
wasted" simply means that a sufficient number of those politicians who  
were then in power would soon be voted out of office to effect a change in  
the state government.
          
> A related prophecy,
> 
>   'While discussing the petition to Congress, I prophesied, by
>   virtue of the holy priesthood vested in me, and in the name of
>   the Lord Jesus Christ, that, if Congress will not hear our
>   petition and grant us protection, they shall be broken up as a
                                                    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

>   government, AND GOD SHALL DAMN THEM, AND THERE SHALL BE NOTHING
    ^^^^^^^^^
>   LEFT OF THEM -- NOT EVEN A GREASE SPOT.'
> _Millenial Star_, v.22, p.455. (all caps words deleted from the
> reprint of History of the Church v.6, p.116.)
> 
> Congress did not grant protection, and the government is still around.
>
     Depends on how one interprets "broken up as a government". No  
specific time frame is given here (unlike the previous one, which had a  
limit of "a few years" on it). Also, the text does not say "this Congress"  
(implying the specific Congressional session petitioned by the LDS), but  
"Congress" (which implies Congress as an institution, i.e. it's more  
general). An argument could be made that the pre-1861 Congress was indeed  
"broken up as a government" by the withdrawal and secession of the  
Confederate state delegations. After successfully crushing the Slave Power  
in the War of Emancipation, the 13th-15th Amendments were added to the  
Constitution, which completely altered how members were elected to  
Congress. Thus, Congress of the pre-1861 variety did cease to exist;  
indeed, there really is nothing left of them. As for them being damned,  
only the Holy Trinity knows what their spiritual state is.
   
> >             Willard C. Smith
> > Oh God, Make my Words Palatable and Sweet, | att!cbnews!iwtgo!wcsa
> >  Because I Might have to Eat all of Them.  | wcsa@iwtgo.att.com
> 
> Mark
> <standard disclaimer>

Arthur Johnson
johnson@offroad.chem.wisc.edu

"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me" -- the Jesus Prayer

"Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us" -- the Trisagon
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