Revisiting LDS President George Albert Smith's 1946 Prophecy; Why It Is Unlikely To Be Fulfilled In Its Specified Format

The deteriorating international situation, with the wars, rumours of wars, pestilence, and drought have triggered a renewed interest in prophecy among some within the Mormon community. Among the prophecies discussed is one reportedly given in 1946 by Church President George Albert Smith while visiting with a family in Utah. The person recording the prophecy was a neighbor of President Smith.

Here is the most important excerpt:

Pres. Smith said, "I have had a troublesome vision of another great and terrible war that made the war just ended look like a training exercise World War II and people died like flies. It began at a time when the Soviet Union's military might dwarfed that of the United States, and we [that is, the United States] would have missiles in Europe that carried an atomic bomb. I saw the United States withdraw its missiles to appease the Soviet Union, and then the war began." He also said that we would have big missiles in deep holes he described like grain silos which the Soviets would try to destroy with their own missiles. They would hit military installations and some cities also. He said that the president at that time would be of Greek extraction.

Until then all the presidents would be of British or northern European ancestry. He continued that the U.S. would be bound by numerous entangling alliances and would take away weapons owned by the people. He talked some about the initial attack and the ground warfare, but I can't remember enough to document all their tactics and in which countries various things occurred. One tactic, especially in Europe, was to transport tanks in thousands of big trucks like semi-trailers on the super highways to have them located where they wanted them when the war was to begin. During that explanation I asked, "What about the Atomic Cannon?" to which he answered, "I didn't see anything like that." Then he said, "The aftermath was dreadful. Think of the worst, most difficult times of the Depression." He turned to us children and said, "You won't remember the Depression," which was true. I didn't know there was a depression as I was growing up - the sun came up every morning, flowers bloomed, we went to school, and there was church every Sunday. But he repeated to our parents, "Think of the worst condition of the Depression. Can you think of something?" Our father answered, "Oh yes!" Then Pres. Smith continued, "You know how Sunday school picnics are complete with salad, chicken, root beer, and dessert, and everyone has a wonderful time. The worst time of the Depression will seem like a Sunday school picnic when compared with conditions that will exist after that great war." When he finished speaking he turned around and went to the front door.

Post-analysis reveals the most likely time of fulfillment of this prophecy would have been 1988-1989. The U.S. had just reached agreement with the Soviet Union on intermediate range nuclear forces in 1987. The key to preventing fulfillment may have been President Ronald Reagan's courageous refusal to accept Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev's proposal to ban all ballistic missiles at the Reykjavík Summit in 1986. The subsequent American Strategic Defense Initiative convinced Gorbachev that the Soviets couldn't hope to outspend the U.S., leading to the transformation of glasnost and perestroika from a ruse designed to hoodwink the West into a serious initiative that led to the so-called "Evil Empire" voluntarily disbanding in 1992.

Nevertheless, the threat of this prophecy's fulfillment in this form didn't completely recede until after the 1988 Presidential elections. The Democratic nominee, Michael Dukakis, was of Greek origin, and in July 1988, right after the Democratic national convention, a Gallup poll showed Dukakis leading by 17 points. But this proved merely to be a post-convention bump as George H.W. Bush clawed his way back to a six-point victory in November after successfully portraying Dukakis as soft on crime.

Some people wonder if George Albert Smith used the term "Greek" as a substitute for "non-White", and claim Barack Obama is the President under which the attack will happen. However, Obama is mixed-race, and on his maternal side, his mother, Stanley Ann Durham. is of English origin. So Barack Obama at least partways continues the tradition of American Presidents holding either British or other Northern European ancestry. By the way, a short list of 2016 Presidential hopefuls reveals no one of Greek ancestry, although Bobby Jindal is of Asian Indian origin and has no European ancestry.

In addition, Russia's current military might, while improving, does NOT dwarf American military might, even though Russian bombers and submarines are behaving provocatively worldwide and Russia is bullying its immediate neighbors (Georgia and Ukraine). While the U.S. is still hogtied by entangling alliances and there are increasing infringements upon the right to bear arms, the U.S. government has not, in the general sense, taken away all weapons owned by the people yet. Consequently, I don't believe George Albert Smith's prophecy will be fulfilled in its specified format, although some of the individual events could still take place. Too many people have had visions of a physical invasion of the United States by international forces led by the Russians and Chinese for us to dismiss this possibility. Another LDS blogger echoes the possibility of at least a partial fulfillment.

Anklebiters and naysayers will complain about George Albert Smith giving this prophecy to one individual family rather than announcing it at General Conference. But there are two good reasons why President Smith did not announce this churchwide. First, it could have precipitated some panic. And secondly, most people might have scoffed at him. After all, Noah warned the people of the antediluvian world for 100 years that the earth was about to be baptized by full immersion in water, backing this up by building an ark, but in the end, only eight people survived the Flood. Noah and his immediate family. The rest of the world laughed at Noah.

Julie Rowe Discusses Her NDE Book "A Greater Tomorrow" With Mills Kershaw On KTKK

A discussion thread on LDS Freedom Forum alerted me to the existence of another LDS member who had a NDE/OBE (Near-Death Experience/Out-of-Body Experience). Julie Rowe had a NDE during an operation in 2004, but was initially forbidden from disclosing it to the general public. But she was eventually given permission to share her experience, which she does in her book entitled "A Greater Tomorrow". Some of those who've read it say there are many similarities with another NDE book entitled "Visions Of Glory" by John Pontius. FairMormon does disclose some caveats about Visions of Glory, though.

From the description on Amazon:

In 2004, Julie Rowe was a happy wife and mother. Then her health took a turn for the worse. While in a weakened state, her spirit left her body and entered the Spirit World. An ancestor named John greeted her and showed her many wonderful places there. He also allowed her to read from the Book of Life, which showed her a panorama of the earth's past, present, and future.

Julie saw the lives of many historical figures, such as Adam and Eve, Enoch, Noah, and Moses. She witnessed the Savior's mortal life, including his crucifixion and resurrection. She also saw the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ through the prophet Joseph Smith, and the key events that have led to the Church's growth.

Then Julie was shown upcoming world events that will be both tragic and glorious. She saw earthquakes, tsunamis, famines, plagues, and wars, but she also witnessed how the Lord is watching over His people and is preparing places of refuge to protect them from the coming calamities. Julie was filled with joy as she saw the Saints establish the New Jerusalem and other Cities of Light in preparation for the Savior's Second Coming.

Prior to her return, she was told that at a future time she would be expected to tell others about her experience. That time has come.

A few of the chapters are posted online:

-- Chapter 1, The Day I Left My Body: Describes Julie Rowe's illness and hospitalization.

-- Chapter 2, The Lake: Describes her initial encounter with John in the spirit world. John reminded Julie of the premortal existence and she was shown scenes from her premortal life, and some of the roles she played there. After being shown scenes of how distressed her husband would be upon her death, it was agreed upon that Julie would willingly go back to her body, but only after she was given a “tour” and was able to learn and see more for herself what really happens in the spirit world. She was shown the War in Heaven, as well as various scenes that have played out on earth throughout the history of mankind. John reminded her about the story of her birth and the difficulty her mother had while pregnant with her.

-- Chapter 9, Earthly Cities of Light: Although the U.S. was experiencing economic problems and a few small-scale disasters, no major catastrophes were on the horizon. Nevertheless, the LDS leadership scheduled a special meeting concerning preparedness that was broadcast. They also sent letters to stake presidents asking them to determine what supplies the Saints had and how much food storage they had. So meetings were held where local leaders passed out a list asking Church members to indicate the supplies they had available if needed. Then the invitation came from the prophet for Church members to gather at camps that had been prepared as places of refuge (some would become "cities of light"). However, most LDS members refused to even consider the idea of leaving their homes; only a small percentage of the members went to the camps, either because they did not have the faith, or they were not prepared. Individuals traveling to these places of refuge were observed to be getting gas at certain stops, but were urged to bypass major cities like Denver (specifically mentioned) because they were unsafe. Mormons and non-Mormons alike were at the camps.

But LDS Freedom Forum revealed that Julie Rowe was a guest on Mills Kershaw's Drive-Time show on KTKK in Salt Lake. The show turned out to be 2 hours and 54 minutes. Here's the MP3 link:

http://radiorecast.com/ktalk/archive/Mills_Crenshaw/2014%200529%20JULIE%20ROW%20A%20PROFOUNF%20NEAR%20DEATH%20EXPERANCE.mp3

Because the program is nearly three hours long, I listened to it and have gleaned out what I considered the more interesting highlights. Julie Rowe is somewhat difficult to understand at times; she has the type of voice and enunciation that's difficult for me, but I do the best I can. Mills Kershaw was perfectly understandable. My remarks begin after the jump, and I refer to the time on the MP3 where the particular discussion took place:

Is Barack Obama And China Laying The Foundation For Fulfillment Of The White Horse Prophecy Via A Land-For-Debt Deal Involving American Soil?

The White Horse Prophecy, attributable to the Prophet Joseph Smith in May 1843, is not considered doctrinal by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. On January 6th, 2010, the LDS Church released an official statement saying in part, "The so-called 'White Horse Prophecy' is based on accounts that have not been substantiated by historical research and is not embraced as Church doctrine." FairMormon provides more background on the controversy surrounding this prophecy.

However, there's an interesting portion of the White Horse Prophecy which may be in prospective danger of fulfillment. Towards the very end, Joseph Smith allegedly said "There is a land beyond the Rocky Mountains that will be invaded by the heathen Chinese unless great care and protection are given". In this context, "beyond the Rocky Mountains" could mean the three West Coast states.

According to a new development reported by Secretsofthefed.com, which also references a January 2013 article in WorldNetDaily for additional credibility, Barack Obama and the Chinese government are allegedly exploring a debt-for-land swap to convert more than $1 trillion of U.S debt it owns into equity. Under this scheme, China could set up “development zones” in which the communist nation could establish Chinese-owned businesses and bring in its citizens to the U.S. to work. Under the plan, China would own U.S. businesses, U.S. infrastructure and U.S. high-value land, all with a U.S. government guarantee against loss. The Obama Administration would grant a financial guarantee as an inducement for China to convert U.S. debt into Chinese direct equity investment. The objective would be for China to resume lending to the U.S. on a nearly zero-interest basis. However, converting Chinese debt to equity investments in the United States could also easily add another $1 trillion to outstanding Obama Administration guarantees issued in the current economic crisis, which would permit Obama to continue expanding entitlements and mandates while minimizing financial pain inflicted upon Americans.

Yu Qiao, a professor of economics in the School of Public Policy and Management at Tsighua University in Beijing, says what worries Asian investors is that if the U.S. dollar collapsed under the weight of proposed Obama Administration trillion-dollar budget deficits into the foreseeable future, Asian holders of U.S. debt would face substantial losses that the Financial Times estimated would devastate Asians’ hard-earned wealth and terminate economic globalization.

What could possibly go wrong with this scheme?

(1). How much political sovereignty would China have in these "development zones"? Would they be considered Chinese territory?

(2). What type of working conditions would prevail within these "development zones"? China is notorious for employing production workers in sweatshops in which they work up to 72 hours per week at minimum wage, with rarely a bathroom or meal break.

(3). If these "development zones" were to break down, would China invade militarily to enforce their sovereignty? Would our military, whose senior leadership is currently being decapitated by the Obama Administration using spurious tales of "using counterfeit poker chips" as an excuse to purge senior officers, have the capacity and the will to resist a Chinese invasion?

The White Horse Prophecy may not be considered doctrinal, but it seems like the Prophet Joseph Smith knew what he was talking about when he warned us about the "heathen Chinese". In fact, the only part of the White Horse Prophecy with which I disagree is this part:

"While the terrible revolution of which I have spoken has been going on, England will be neutral until it becomes so inhuman that she will interfere to stop the shedding of blood. England and France will unite together to make peace, not to subdue the nations; they will find the nations so broken up and so many claiming government, till there will be no responsible government. Then it will appear to the other nations or powers as though England had taken possession of the country. The Black Horse will flee to the invaders and will join with them, for they will have fear of becoming slaves again. Knowing England did not believe in slavery, fleeing to them they believe would make them safe. Armed with British bayonets, the doings of the Black Horse will he terrible."

I don't believe either the British or the French have the wherewithal or resolve to intervene militarily on our soil. But the rest of the prophecy ought not to be discounted, even if the LDS Church cannot satisfactorily vouch for its origins.

Did You Know That The Prophet Joseph Smith Predicted A Third Major Political Party And World War III On American Soil?

On October 24th, 2010, New York Magazine published an assessment of 2012 American presidential politics written by John Heilemann. Entitled "2012: How Sarah Barracuda Becomes President", it postulates about the possible outcome of a three-way race between Sarah Palin (Republican), Barack Obama (Democrat), and a third group predominantly consisting of alienated moderate Republicans, with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg as their standard-bearer. None of the three get the necessary 270 electoral votes to win outright, throwing the election into the House of Representatives; because of Republican domination of the House, Palin wins. TheWeek pans this scenario, claiming that Bloomberg is unlikely to play.

But the first President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Joseph Smith, who foresaw the Civil War, also foresaw the development of a third major political party. He also foresaw World War III being waged upon our soil. The prophecy was recorded by Mosiah Hancock in 1844 and is documented in "The Autobiography of Mosiah Hancock" (excerpt available HERE). In this prophecy, Joseph Smith predicted the advent of a third major political party in the United States as well as a physical invasion of the U.S. by foreign powers. Here's the key excerpt:

There will be two great political parties in this country. One will be called the Republican, and the other the Democrat party. These two parties will go to war and out of these two parties will spring another party which will be the Independent American Party.

The United States will spend her strength and means warring in foreign lands until other nations will say, "Let us divide up the lands of the United States", then the people of the U.S. will unite and swear by the blood of their forefathers that the land shall not be divided. Then the country will go to war, and they will fight until one half of the U.S army will give up, and the rest will continue to struggle. They will keep on until they are very ragged and discouraged, and almost ready to give up -- when the boys from the mountains will rush forth in time to save the American army from defeat and ruin. And they will say, "Brethren, we are glad you have come; give us men, henceforth, who can talk with God". Then you will have friends, but you will save the country when its liberty hangs by a hair, as it were.

Note that when Joseph Smith made the prediction in 1844, the dominant political parties in the United States were the Democratic-Republican Party and the Whig Party. Yet he referred to separate Democrat and Republican parties, by name, 12 years before the Democratic-Republicans split up into two separate parties. This implies that he envisioned the evolution of an Independent American Party by that specific name. Since George Wallace's short-lived movement in 1968 was called the American Independent Party, it seemingly would not qualify. There is currently a National Independent American Party, but its name is slightly different, and it is only a marginal force. It is my belief that Joseph Smith specifically meant "Independent American Party" BY NAME.

The two prominent parties have indeed "gone to war" against each other. The rhetoric now is harsher than in nearly any other period of American history save it be that preceding the Civil War. Many Democrats routinely refer to Republicans, particularly the Tea Party variety, as "Nazis", "fascists", "racists", etc. The abuse endured by Alaska Republican Senate candidate Joe Miller, Nevada Republican Senate candidate Sharron Angle, and Delaware Republican Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell has been particularly hideous. And Republicans aren't exactly guiltless; they frequently refer to lefties as "moonbats" and "socialists" and even "baby-killers".

Tribulation Watch: Doctrine & Covenants 112:23-26 Implies Premillenial Divine Judgment Not Only Could Begin In America, But Actually Begin In Utah

I got the idea for this post from a post on LDS Doctrine entitled "The Tribulation and the Republic". In his post, David Bresnahan makes the case that the United States was intended to be a constitutional republic, NOT a democracy, and that our failure to keep it as a republic will unleash forces that will trigger worldwide divine judgment just prior to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the Millenium.

But what caught my eye were scriptural verses from Doctrine & Covenants 112:23-26, which seem to tell us where this judgment will begin. I have combined all four verses into a single narrative below:

D&C 112:23-26. Verily, verily, I say unto you, darkness covereth the earth, and gross darkness the minds of the people, and all flesh has become corrupt before my face. Behold, vengeance cometh speedily upon the inhabitants of the earth, a day of wrath, a day of burning, a day of desolation, of weeping, of mourning, and of lamentation; and as a whirlwind it shall come upon all the face of the earth, saith the Lord. And upon my house shall it begin, and from my house shall it go forth, saith the Lord; First among those among you, saith the Lord, who have professed to know my name and have not known me, and have blasphemed against me in the midst of my house, saith the Lord.

Bresnahan believes "my house" can be interpreted to mean the United States, because the Book of Mormon has identified it as a land choice above all other lands, and a condition of possession is that the inhabitants would be fundamentally righteous. However, the term "my house" could further be identified to mean where Latter-day Saints live in the most heavily concentrated numbers. And that area is the Wasatch Front of Utah.

What's also noteworthy is that a spirit of extremism is taking possession of both major political parties, the Democrats and the Republicans. And where did the first electoral manifestation of this take place? In Utah, on May 8th. At the Republican convention, delegates rejected the moderate Republican incumbent Bob Bennett in favor of two more explicitly conservative alternatives, Tim Bridgewater and Mike Lee. On the Democratic side, extremists propelled the hard-left lesbian gender studies instructor Claudia Wright into a June 22nd primary fight with the blue-dog incumbent Jim Matheson. The rhetoric has been harsh at times.

So the polarization of both parties has also begun in what the Lord calls "my house"; namely, Utah.

After digesting this, I suddenly recalled a vision by an LDS woman which was documented on the GreaterThings website. The vision was recorded by Ranae Lee in September 2008. She's LDS, and she says she saw two Utah earthquakes in her vision. The first, 6.2 in magnitude, occurred shortly after an October LDS Conference. There was some damage, but life for the most part went on, and Ranae observed that most Utahns sighed in relief, thinking that was the "big one". But a second quake, with a much more destructive magnitude of 8.6, occurred about a week later. The first earthquake caused a previously-unknown fault to begin moving and slipping; when the west side of the fault bumped and dropped, the second quake occurred. Ranae recorded that this quake generated widespread catastrophic damage throughout much of the Salt Lake Valley, with sections of the city liquefying, the "Spaghetti Bowl" of the I-15/I-80 connection collapsing, and even the LDS Church Office Building becoming dangerously unstable. She saw people fleeing to the south to escape the damage.

Interestingly, in her vision, Ranae also refers to Boyd K. Packer as "President", but it is unclear if this is in reference to his present capacity as President of the Quorum of the Twelve, or perhaps as President of the Church. If it's the latter case, it implies Thomas S. Monson could be taken from us soon, because Boyd K. Packer is getting old and somewhat infirm, and as of right now, it doesn't seem like he would outlive President Monson. But if President Monson was to pass away tomorrow, Boyd Packer, as President of the Quorum of the Twelve, would be his successor.

While Ranae Lee does not speak with any authority for the LDS Church, the scenario she witnessed is plausible. But prophecy is fulfilled only when the conditions are met; this is why she saw no particular time frame. Indeed, she didn't even specify who the President of the United States was in her vision. But it does illustrate how judgment could easily begin in the United States, and, because the rest of the world's economy is so closely intertwined with ours, spread worldwide.