Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 87:1-2
"Verily, thus saith the Lord concerning the wars that will shortly come to pass, beginning at the rebellion of South Carolina, which will eventually terminate in the death and misery of many souls;
And the time will come that war will be poured out upon all nations, beginning at this place."
I'm familiar with this chapter being the prophesy on the Civil War. It was more the header to this section that caught my eye. I didn't recall the mention of tariffs as a cause of the war between the North and the South.
"Revelation and prophecy on war, given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at or near Kirtland, Ohio, December 25, 1832. At this time disputes in the United States over slavery and South Carolina’s nullification of federal tariffs were prevalent. Joseph Smith’s history states that “appearances of troubles among the nations” were becoming “more visible” to the Prophet “than they had previously been since the Church began her journey out of the wilderness.”
(2013 edition, current version online and in the Gospel Library app)
I went back and found an earlier edition of the Doctrine and Covenants to read the header. My eyes were not deceiving me. It wasn't in the earlier header.
"Revelation and prophecy on war, given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, December 25, 1832. HC 1:301–302. This section was received at a time when the brethren were reflecting and reasoning upon African slavery on the American continent and the slavery of the children of men throughout the world."
(1981 Edition of the Doctrine and Covenants)
I searched online to find out a little more about the "South Carolina's nullification of federal tariffs". Then I read the background to the revelation in the Joseph Smith Papers.
"On Christmas Day, 25 December 1832, JS dictated this revelation warning of the outbreak of war across all nations, beginning in South Carolina. Remarking on the context of this revelation, a later JS history states: “Appearances of troubles among the nations, became more visible, this season, than they had previously done, since the church began her journey out of the wilderness.” The Painesville Telegraph of 21 December 1832 highlighted some of these problems. It contained an article titled “Revenge and Magnanimity. A Tale of the Cholera” about the worldwide cholera epidemic, as well as information about a plague in India that was killing 150 to 200 people a day. The newspaper also included extensive coverage of the passage of a resolution by a Nullification Convention held in November in South Carolina. This resolution declared the federal tariff acts of 1828 and 1832, which levied high duties against imports, “null and void” in the state. Many South Carolina residents believed the acts were passed solely to protect northern manufacturing at the expense of the South. Not only did South Carolinians claim the right to nullify the law, they also stated their willingness to “organize a separate Government” should the federal government try to enforce the tariffs in the state. The governor called for two thousand men to form a militia “for the defence of Charleston and its dependencies.” President Andrew Jackson responded quickly to this resolution, stating, according to the Telegraph, “that the laws and the Union must be maintained, at all events.” Because Painesville, Ohio, was only about ten miles from Kirtland, Ohio, it is probable that JS saw or heard about the articles in the 21 December Telegraph within a day or so. These developments troubled JS, who saw in them the threat of the “immediate dissolution” of the United States. Indeed, the 25 December revelation predicted that rebellion on the part of South Carolina would lead not only to civil war and war among nations but also to slave rebellions and an uprising of remnants of the house of Israel. This violence, combined with plague and other natural disasters, would ultimately lead to the “full end of all Nations.” Using millenarian language, the revelation cast such events as portents of the return of Jesus Christ to the earth"
(The Joseph Smith Papers, Revelation, 25 December 1832 [D&C 87], JSP, D2:328–331)
This really gives me pause because we are facing very similar issues in our nation today. What was an issue regarding slavery and tariffs is now an issue regarding tariffs and migrants today. Things are just not looking very pretty. This chapter also ends with a verse that is frequently quoted for our day.
"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."
(Doctrine and Covenants 87:8)
The American Civil War Art Print by Cais Asmiani
Day 3676
