http://www.fairlds.org/pubs/whitehorse.pdf
This prophecy spoken by Joseph Smith on May 6,1843 in the presence of Edwin Rushton and Theodore Turley. This was repeated in a meeting about two weeks later, but in both instances was written out from memory afterwards.
There has been much criticism of the “White Horse” prophecy, many saying there is no foundation for it. But Brigham Young quotes from it in the Journal of Discourses. As you read this, pay attention to the references to bank failures and large amounts of gold.
THE PROPHECY
On or about the sixth day of May. 1843, a grand review of the Nauvoo Legion was held in Nauvoo. (Illinois) The Prophet Joseph complimented them for their good discipline and evolutions performed. The weather being hot, he called for a glass of water. With the glass of water in his hand he said, “I drink to you a toast to the overthrow of the mobocrats.”
The next morning a man who had heard the Prophet give the toast returned to visit the Mansion of the Prophet. And so abused him with bad language.
That the man was ordered out by the Prophet. It was while the two were out that my attention was attracted to them and hearing the man speaking in a loud tone of voice. I went toward them; the man finally leaving. There were present the Prophet Joseph Smith. Theodore Turley and myself. The Prophet began talking to us of the mobbings and drivings and persecutions we as a people have endured. But, said he, “We will have worse things to see; our persecutors will have all the mobbings they want. Don’t wish them any harm. For when you see their sufferings you will shed bitter tears for them.”
While this conversation was going on we stood by his south wicket gate in a triangle. Turning to me he said: “I want to tell you something. I will speak a parable like unto John the Revelator. You will go to the Rocky Mountains. And you will be a great and mighty people, established there, which I will call the ‘White Horse of Peace and Safety.’ When the Prophet said you will see it, I asked him, “Where will you be at that time?” He said, “I shall never go there. Your enemies will continue to follow you with persecutions and will make obnoxious laws against you in Congress to destroy the White Horse, but you will have a friend or two ‘to defend you’ to throw out the worst part of the laws, so they will not hurt much. You must continue to petition Congress all the time, they will treat you like strangers and aliens, and they will not give you your rights but will govern you with strangers and commissioners; you will see the Constitution of the United States almost destroyed; it will hang by a thread, as it were, as fine as the finest silk fiber.”
At this point the Prophet’s countenance became sad; he said, “I love the constitution. It was made by the inspiration of God. And it will be preserved and saved by the efforts of the White Horse and the Red Horse. Who will combine in its defense. The White Horse will raise an ensign on the tops of the mountains of peace and safety. The White Horse will find the mountains full of minerals and they will become very rich. You will see silver piled up in the streets “You will see gold shoveled up like sand. Gold will be of little value even in a mercantile capacity, for the people of the world will have something else to do in seeking for salvation “The time will come when the banks in every nation will fail and only two places will be safe where people can deposit their gold and treasures. These places will be the White Horse and England’s vaults.”
“A terrible revolution will take place in the land of America, such as has never been seen before; for the land will be literally left without a supreme government. And every species of wickedness will run rampant. Father will be against son, and son against father, mother against daughter, and daughter against mother. The most terrible scenes of murder and bloodshed and rapine that have ever been looked upon will take place.
“Peace will be taken from the earth and there will be no peace only in the Rocky Mountains. This will cause many hundreds and thousands of the honest in heart to gather there; not because they would be saints but for safety and because they would not take up the sword against their neighbor.
“You will be so numerous that you will be in danger of famine, but not for the want of seed time and harvest, but because of so many to be fed, Many will come with bundles under their arms to escape the calamities, and there will be no escape except by fleeing to Zion. (A few million Mormons will try to return to Utah.)
“Those that come to you will try to keep the laws and be one with you, for they will see your unity and the greatness of your organization. The Turkish Empire or the Crescent will be one of the first powers that will be disrupted, for freedom must be given for the Gospel to he preached in the Holy Land.
“The Lord took of the best blood of the nations and planted them on the small islands now called England and Great Britain, and gave them great power in the nations for a thousand years and their power will continue with them, that they may keep the balance of power and keep Russia from usurping her power over all the world. England and France are now (1843) bitter enemies, but they will be allied together and he united to keep Russia from conquering the world.
“The two Popes, Greek and Catholic, will come together and be united. The Protestant religions do not know how much they are indebted to Henry the VIII for throwing off the Pope’s Bull and establishing the Protestant faith. He was the only monarch who could do so at the time, and he did it because this nation, England, was at his back to sustain him. One of the peculiar features in England is the established red coat, a uniform making so remarkable a mark to shoot at, and yet they have conquered wherever they have gone. The reason for this will be known by them some day. The Lion and the Unicorn of Israel is their ensign, the wisdom and statesmanship of England comes from having so much of the blood of Israel in the nation.
“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.”
Here the Prophet said he. could not bear to look longer upon the scene as shown him in vision and asked the Lord to close the scene.
Continuing, he said. “During this time the great White Horse will have gathered strength sending out Elders to gather the honest in heart among the Pale Horse, or people of the United States, to stand by the Constitution of the United States. as it was given by inspiration of God.
“In these days God will set up a kingdom never to he thrown down, for other kingdoms to come unto. And these kingdoms that will not let the Gospel be preached will be humbled until they will.
“England, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Holland, and Belgium, have a considerable amount of the blood of Israel among their people WHICH must be gathered.
Then nations will submit to the kingdom of God. England will be the last of these kingdoms to surrender, but when she does, she will do it as a whole in comparison as she threw off the Catholic power. The nobility know that the Gospel is true but it has not enough pomp and grandeur and influence. for them to embrace it. They are proud and will not acknowledge the kingdom of God, or come unto it until they see the power which it will have. Peace and safety in the Rocky Mountains will be protected by a cordon band of the White Horse and the Red Horse.
“The coming of the Messiah among this people will be so natural, that “only” those who see Him will know that He has come, but He will come and give His laws unto Zion, and minister unto His people. This will not be His coming in the clouds of heaven to take vengeance on the wicked of the world.
“The Temple in Jackson County will be built in this generation. The saints will think there will not be time to build it. but with all the help you will receive you can put up a great temple quickly. They will have all the gold, silver, and precious stones; for these things only will be used for the beautifying of the temple; all the skilled mechanics you want, and the Ten Tribes of Israel will help you build it. When you see this land bound with iron you may look toward Jackson County”
At this point he made a pause, and looking up as though the vision was still in view, he said.” There is a land beyond the Rocky Mountains that will be invaded by the heathen Chinese unless great care and protection are given.” Speaking of the heathen nations he said, “Where there is no law there is no condemnation, and this will apply to them. Power will be given the White Horse to rebuke nations afar off, and they will be one with the White Horse, but when the law goes forth they will obey; for the law will go forth from Zion. The last great struggle Zion will have to contend with will be when the whole of the Americas will be made the Zion of our God. Those opposing will be called Gog and Magog, some of the nations of the world led by the Russian czar and their power will be great, but all opposition will be overcome and then this land will be the Zion of our God.”
http://www.reliefmine.com/articles/prophecy/94-the-white-horse-prophecy
Here is the post regarding the gentleman in Idaho running for Governor. Notice towards the bottom there is the church statement which says:
LDS church statement:
“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is politically neutral and does not endorse or promote any candidate, party or platform. Accordingly, we hope that the campaign practices of political candidates would not suggest that their candidacy is supported by or connected to the church.
“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.”
http://www.rogerknecht.com/2010/01/07/another-mormon-myth-debunked/
http://www.rogerknecht.com/2010/01/16/the-lds-church-tries-to-distance-itself-from-the-white-horse-prophecy/
Than see all of the quotes from the prophets testifying of it. – Interesting
http://www.rogerknecht.com/2010/01/07/the-constitution-hanging-by-a-thread/
http://www.rogerknecht.com/2009/11/14/defense-of-the-constitution/
http://www.rogerknecht.com/2010/01/10/did-joseph-smith-really-have-concerns-about-the-future-of-the-us-constitution/
Here is some more related information:
http://www.rogerknecht.com/2010/01/10/when-the-constitution-%E2%80%9Changs-by-a-thread%E2%80%9D-%E2%80%93-the-white-horse-prophecy-in-modern-mormonism/
A talk by Rex Lee – http://www.rogerknecht.com/2010/01/10/the-constitution-and-the-restoration/
This is one last funny thing which is of all things a quote by Rush Limbaugh:
With the passage yesterday of Obamacare this is what Rush Limbaugh had to say:
“We now have leftist radicals in charge of your health care decisions rather than doctors. I got up today and I said, “We’re hanging by a thread,” and there’s a difficult balancing act on this program today: Dealing with the reality of what has happened, which can’t be candy coated, with the need to fight on. The need to fight on and the urging to fight on must have some substance to it and not just be rhetoric and language and lingo.
http://www.rogerknecht.com/2010/03/23/were-hanging-by-a-thread/
and http://www.rogerknecht.com/2010/04/07/america-hangs-thread/
I just received from someone at the LDS Church Historical Department a statement by Bruce R. McConkie that you may find interesting – http://www.rogerknecht.com/uploads/2011/03/Bruce-R-McConkie-White-Horse.pdf
“And they will tear away one plank of liberty after another, until the whole fabric will totter and fall; and many other nations will be cast down and empires destroyed; and this nation will have to suffer as others will. And it will be as Joseph Smith once said, “When all others forsake the Constitution, the Elders of this Church will rally around the standard and save its tattered shreds.” We will come to its rescue and proclaim liberty to all men.” (John Taylor – Journal of Discourses 20:357)
The following is found in research Blaine Awerkamp did and quotes received from Burnell Williams
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What do we know about the purported statement of Joseph Smith that the Constitution would hang by a thread and that the elders would save it?
D. Michael Stewart, Brigham Young University, Department of History The documents show that Joseph Smith did prophesy a number of times that the United States and the Constitution would be imperiled and that the elders would have a hand in saving them. The first known record of the prophecy dates to July 19, 1840, in Nauvoo, when the prophet spoke about the redemption of Zion. Using Doctrine & Covenants 101 as a text, he said, “Even this nation will be on the verge of crumbling to pieces and tumbling to the ground and when the Constitution is on the brink of ruin this people will be the staff upon which the nation shall lean and they shall bear the Constitution away from the very verge of destruction.” (Joseph Smith Papers, LDS Church Historical Archives, Box 1, March 10, 1844.)
There are also other documents in Church History files that show that five different early Saints recorded some remarks by the Prophet Joseph Smith on this same prophecy, perhaps voiced by the Prophet a number of times in a number of ways after 1840. Parley P. Pratt wrote in 1841 that the prophet said, “The government is fallen and needs redeeming. It is guilty of Blood and cannot stand as it now is but will come so near desolation as to hang as it were by a single hair!!!!! Then the servants goes [sic] to the nations of the earth, and gathers the strength of the Lord’s house! A mighty army!!!!!! And this is the redemption of Zion when the saints shall have redeemed that government and reinstated it in all its purity and glory!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” (George A. Smith Papers, Church Archives, Box 7, Folder 5, January 21, 1841.)
James Burgess related that the Prophet, while addressing the Nauvoo Legion several miles east of Nauvoo in May 1843, said that “the time would come when the constitution and government would hang by a brittle thread and would be ready to fall into other hands but this people the latter-day saints will step forth and save it.” (James Burgess Journal, 1818–1904, Church Archives, vol. 1—found among loose sermons.)
Orson Hyde recalled that the Prophet predicted that “the time would come that the Constitution and the country would be in danger of an overthrow and said he, if the constitution be saved at all, it will be by the Elders of this Church. I believe this is about the language as nearly as I can recollect it.” (JD, 6:150.)
In a Pioneer Day celebration in Ogden in 1871, Eliza R. Snow said, “I heard the prophet say, ‘The time will come when the government of these United States will be so nearly overthrown through its corruption, that the Constitution will hang as it were by a single hair, and the Latter-day Saints—the Elders of Israel—will step forward to its rescue and save it.” (Journal History, MSF 143 #28, July 24, 1871.)
Jedediah M. Grant, during the dark days of threatened invasion of Utah by a federal army, referred to the Prophet’s utterance as he addressed a Mormon Battalion gathering in Salt Lake City, February 6, 1855. “What did the Prophet Joseph say? When the Constitution shall be tottering we shall be the people to save it from the hand of the foe.” (Deseret News Weekly, January 19, 1870.)
On various occasions, Joseph Smith referred to the Constitution, the country, and destiny of the nation; and there is clear evidence that he anticipated future peril. Furthermore, he pronounced the prophecy at various times and places. Perhaps he himself interchanged the simile “on the brink of ruin,” “hang by a brittle thread,” “hang by a single hair,” etc., to describe the anticipated crisis. It is also clear that the redeemers or rescuers of the Constitution were to be either the Saints generally or priesthood officers specifically.
Since no particular time was given for fulfilling this prophecy, members of the Church have often wondered about its timing. The prophecy clearly indicates a single, identifiable episode yet to come. However, it is helpful for us to constantly be on guard against threats to the central elements of the Constitution. It is not wise to sit by and think that the protection of the Constitution is the problem of someone else at some other time.
In support of this view of “constant vigilance,” it is most instructive to note that Church leaders have seen the Constitution imperiled a number of times. Brigham Young, reflecting on the prophecy of 1868, expressed: “It would not be many years before these words come to pass.” (JD, 12:204.) President John Taylor in 1884 declared: “It may be nearer … than some of us think.” (JD, 25:350.) President J. Reuben Clark, Jr., warned in 1942: “Whether it [the Constitution] shall live or die is now in the balance.” (Conference Report, October 1942, p. 58.)
Students of history and the Constitution know that the Constitution has been imperiled a number of times in its history and has been saved a number of times both by vigorous political action and by vocal public opinion.
Thus, rather than simply wait for the one time when the Constitution shall hang by a thread, Latter-day Saints must continually be vigilant. Our commission to save the Constitution is, like salvation, a continuing task, and Church leaders have pointed out the tools available: analysis of constitutional principles, personal study of the history of our nation, reading the Constitution to children at home and in schools, teaching them self-sacrifice—the principle that makes freedom possible—teaching them their obligations as mature citizens, recognizing and resisting ideologies that threaten constitutional principles, and developing loyalty to principle rather than to men or parties.
Politicians and statesmen must grapple with tough questions, painstakingly familiarize themselves with vital issues, and be decisive; but finally, an antidote to abusive government, to corruption, and to constitutional peril lies in private character. Humble people in prayerful homes will contribute immeasurably to a lasting constitutional government. And it should be apparent that consistent efforts in these areas will prepare us both to continually protect the Constitution and to prepare us for possibly a yet future rendezvous with our Constitution’s destiny
Prophetic Warnings
1) Prophecy of Joseph Smith, (According to Orson Hyde):
was that the time would come when the Constitution and the country would be in danger of an overthrow; and . . . “if the Constitution be saved at all, it will be by the Elders of this Church.” (Source: Journal of Discourses, Vol.6, p. 152, January 3, 1850
2) Prophecy of Joseph Smith (March 10, 1844):
Even this nation will be on the verge of crumbling to pieces and tumbling to the ground and when the Constitution is on the brink of ruin this people will be the staff upon which the nation shall lean and they shall bear the Constitution away from the very verge of destruction. (Source: Joseph Smith Papers, LDS Church Historical Archives, Box 1, March 10, 1844; D. Michael Stewart, Ensign, Vol. 6, No. 6, June 1976, pp. 64-65)
3) from David O. McKay:
Next to being one in worshiping God, there is nothing in this world in which this Church should be more united than in upholding and defending the Constitution of the United States. If members of the Melchizedek Priesthood allow the U.S. Constitution to be destroyed, they not only forfeit their rights to the Priesthood, but to a place in this highest degree of glory as well. (David O. McKay, The Instructor, Feb. 1956, p.34)
4) from Ezra Taft Benson in General Conference April 1965:
The Prophet Joseph Smith declared it will be the elders of Israel who will step forward to help save the Constitution, and not the church. Brethren, if we had done our homework and were faithful, we could step forward at this time and help save this country. The fact that most of us are unprepared to do it is an indictment we will have to bear. The longer we wait, the heavier the chains, the deeper the blood, the more the persecution, and the less we can carry out our God-given mandate and world-wide mission. The war in heaven is raging on earth today. Are you being neutralized in the battle? (Ezra Taft Benson, CR-4/65, Era, p. 539)
5) from Boyd K. Packer in 2004:
“Will the Constitution be destroyed? No. It will be held inviolate by this people; and as Joseph Smith said “the time will come when the destiny of this nation will hang upon a single thread, and at this critical juncture, this people will step forth and save it from the threatened destruction.” It will be so. I do not know when that day will come or how it will come to pass. I feel sure that when it does come to pass, among those who will step forward from among this people will be men who hold the Holy Priesthood and who carry as credentials a bachelor or doctor of law degree. And women also, of honor. And there will be judges as well.
Others from the world outside the Church will come, as Colonel Thomas Kane did, and bring with them their knowledge of the law to protect this people. We may one day stand alone, but we will not change or lower our standards, or change our course.” (Source: “On the Shoulders of Giants”, Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark Law Society Devotional, Saturday, 2-28-04, 6:00 p.m)
6) Harold B. Lee:
[Latter-day Saints] “devoutly believe that if [the Constitution] should be in danger of being overthrown, their lives, if need be, are to be offered in defense of its principles.” (Harold B. Lee, “True Patriotism-An Expression of Faith”, April 13, 1941)
7) Statement of Erastus Snow, 1885:
We were told by the prophet Joseph Smith, that the United States Government and people would undermine one principle of the Constitution after another, until its whole fabric would be torn away, and that it would become the duty of the Latter-day Saints and those in sympathy with them to rescue it from destruction, and to maintain and sustain the principles of human freedom for which our fathers fought and bled. We look for these things to come in quick succession. (Source: Journal of Discourses, vol. 26, p. 226, May 31, 1885)