Apocryphal Prophecies


Carborendum
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I just got done talking with a friend since college.  He's really only one of two college friends that I still keep in contact with.  I really do love him to death.  He's always been the fun guy that is always happy.  And he likes to read a lot, which leads us to...

In the midst of the conversation he brought up the George Albert Smith Prophecy about the last days.  There are many parts of it which are demonstrably false/inaccurate.  But my friend held true saying that since it was not initially written down, the game of telephone and the passing of time caused the remaining portions to be inaccurate.  But he holds that some of the remaining may still be true.

Who really knows?  But I don't believe it to be true. 

After all that was said and done, I had to wonder what is there remaining that is of any value for us to know?  Even if it is true, what value is there for us to know?  It is a bit like the Ezra's eagle prophecy. Who knows?  Could be true.  But what benefit is there in knowing about it?  There doesn't seem to be anything to help guide us in what we should prepare for.

In the end, even if true, it really only serves as a curiosity.  The statements of bad stuff happening doesn't seem to be anything we can avoid.  There are no warnings of what to do and what not to do.  And if the details have varying levels of accuracy, what can it do to possibly help us prepare for anything?  I just don't see any purpose in it.

What do you make of things like this?

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If I were the prophet and was asked to share a family home evening with a family I don't think I would have shared something like that with them. But that's just me.

We know a lot of bad stuff is going to happen in the future, it's been prophesied often enough. So could it happen like Pres Smith is reported to have said? I don't see why not but if it's something different I don't know that it will be any better. And like you said @Carborendum there isn't much we can do about it.

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19 hours ago, Carborendum said:

I just got done talking with a friend since college.  He's really only one of two college friends that I still keep in contact with.  I really do love him to death.  He's always been the fun guy that is always happy.  And he likes to read a lot, which leads us to...

In the midst of the conversation he brought up the George Albert Smith Prophecy about the last days.  There are many parts of it which are demonstrably false/inaccurate.  But my friend held true saying that since it was not initially written down, the game of telephone and the passing of time caused the remaining portions to be inaccurate.  But he holds that some of the remaining may still be true.

Who really knows?  But I don't believe it to be true. 

After all that was said and done, I had to wonder what is there remaining that is of any value for us to know?  Even if it is true, what value is there for us to know?  It is a bit like the Ezra's eagle prophecy. Who knows?  Could be true.  But what benefit is there in knowing about it?  There doesn't seem to be anything to help guide us in what we should prepare for.

In the end, even if true, it really only serves as a curiosity.  The statements of bad stuff happening doesn't seem to be anything we can avoid.  There are no warnings of what to do and what not to do.  And if the details have varying levels of accuracy, what can it do to possibly help us prepare for anything?  I just don't see any purpose in it.

What do you make of things like this?

I think the prophets of the Restoration build upon their predecessors' bona fide instructions from the Lord. Those things that are meant to be perpetuated would be preserved and acted upon (for example, the First Vision, Restoration of the Priesthood, other canonized visions and revelations, etc.).

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On 10/15/2020 at 9:57 PM, laronius said:

We know a lot of bad stuff is going to happen in the future, it's been prophesied often enough. So could it happen like Pres Smith is reported to have said?

This was really my primary point to my friend.  Of the stuff that we can supposedly depend on in this apocryphal prophecy, what is different than we already know from confirmed prophecies?

His answer eventually was: We're going to be attacked by Russia.  I took that to mean unprovoked.  I don't see that happening anytime soon.  But even if it did, what good will it do for us to know that?  What can we change?  What can we do to prepare that would be different than anything else?

Edited by Carborendum
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5 hours ago, Carborendum said:

This was really my primary point to my friend.  Of the stuff that we can supposedly depend on in this apocryphal prophecy, what is different than we already know from confirmed prophecies?

His answer eventually was: We're going to be attacked by Russia.  I took that to mean unprovoked.  I don't see that happening anytime soon.  But even if it did, what good will it do for us to know that?  What can we change?  What can we do to prepare that would be different than anything else?

Exactly. I have at times read these various types of so-called prophesies out of curiosity but I have never once in response felt prompted to do anything different because of what I read. Besides, I think the destruction of the wicked at the Lord's coming will make anything else that could happen pale in comparison and I am much more concerned about being in His cross hairs than some mad man's.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 10/15/2020 at 6:39 PM, NeedleinA said:

When I see things like this creep up, which they do from time to time,  the two impressions that come to my mind are: 

1. "Follow the prophet"

2. "Hold to the iron rod"

 

Does holding to the iron rod include believing everything spoken by leaders at General Conference are
truthful?

Edited by Jonah
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1 minute ago, Jonah said:

Does holding to the iron rod include believing everything spoken by leaders at General Conference are
truthful?

Do I have to jump just because Jonah barks again?
Do I have to produce an answer to every question Jonah concocts?
Do I have to spoon feed someone who is unwilling to ever lift the spoon themselves?
Do I have to participate in this hush-hush game of false sincerity with Jonah?

^^^^ See, I can do the same thing. I too can ask question after question after question.

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On 10/15/2020 at 4:02 PM, Carborendum said:

I just got done talking with a friend since college.  He's really only one of two college friends that I still keep in contact with.  I really do love him to death.  He's always been the fun guy that is always happy.  And he likes to read a lot, which leads us to...

In the midst of the conversation he brought up the George Albert Smith Prophecy about the last days.  There are many parts of it which are demonstrably false/inaccurate.  But my friend held true saying that since it was not initially written down, the game of telephone and the passing of time caused the remaining portions to be inaccurate.  But he holds that some of the remaining may still be true.

Who really knows?  But I don't believe it to be true. 

After all that was said and done, I had to wonder what is there remaining that is of any value for us to know?  Even if it is true, what value is there for us to know?  It is a bit like the Ezra's eagle prophecy. Who knows?  Could be true.  But what benefit is there in knowing about it?  There doesn't seem to be anything to help guide us in what we should prepare for.

In the end, even if true, it really only serves as a curiosity.  The statements of bad stuff happening doesn't seem to be anything we can avoid.  There are no warnings of what to do and what not to do.  And if the details have varying levels of accuracy, what can it do to possibly help us prepare for anything?  I just don't see any purpose in it.

What do you make of things like this?

I believe there are two things to keep in mind about prophecies.  The first are warning intended for the wicked.  These come as incentives to repent.  The second is comfort for the righteous.  

Most people think that the term wicked refers to evil people that are hell bent on doing sinful things.  In contrast they think that righteous are those that are born again and that live purely and continually without flaw.  Both of these definitions are misleading and incorrect - though in some way there may be an anecdotal parallels - it is not what was intended.  Anciently the righteous were those that were willing to covenant with G-d.  The wicked were defined as those that were not willing to covenant with G-d.   

With this in mind - in the beginning one may not be able to discern the righteous from the wicked (wheat from tares) based only on their deeds but the ripe fruit of each is what eventually discerns the differences that most come to understand.  

 

The Traveler

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On 10/15/2020 at 7:02 PM, Carborendum said:

I just got done talking with a friend since college.  He's really only one of two college friends that I still keep in contact with.  I really do love him to death.  He's always been the fun guy that is always happy.  And he likes to read a lot, which leads us to...

In the midst of the conversation he brought up the George Albert Smith Prophecy about the last days.  There are many parts of it which are demonstrably false/inaccurate.  But my friend held true saying that since it was not initially written down, the game of telephone and the passing of time caused the remaining portions to be inaccurate.  But he holds that some of the remaining may still be true.

Who really knows?  But I don't believe it to be true. 

After all that was said and done, I had to wonder what is there remaining that is of any value for us to know?  Even if it is true, what value is there for us to know?  It is a bit like the Ezra's eagle prophecy. Who knows?  Could be true.  But what benefit is there in knowing about it?  There doesn't seem to be anything to help guide us in what we should prepare for.

In the end, even if true, it really only serves as a curiosity.  The statements of bad stuff happening doesn't seem to be anything we can avoid.  There are no warnings of what to do and what not to do.  And if the details have varying levels of accuracy, what can it do to possibly help us prepare for anything?  I just don't see any purpose in it.

What do you make of things like this?

 

This reminds me somewhat of chapter five of the book Saved By The Light by near death experiencer Dannion Brinkley.

Actually.... I am of the belief that our prayers and our wiser decisions in comparison to other time lines can dramatically improve our future.

 

 

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19 hours ago, Jonah said:

Do you mean those who don't inherit eternal life because they do not endure to the end?

 

Being as specific as I can - the only way to inherit eternal life is through a valid and working covenant with G-d - which is the ancient definition of righteousness.  I will use the secular example of a mortgage.   If you enter into a legal mortgage agreement with a lender to purchase a house and then half way through your agreed payments decide to no longer make any payments.  The legal truth is that regardless that there was once a mortgage agreement in full validity and force - that house will not be yours at the end of the contracted time.  In addition you will loose all claim to whatever you paid up and until you determined to invalidate your covenantal contract.   Scripture is rampant with references of disloyalty to divine contract as wicked and evil.  Are you in any way suggesting otherwise?

 

The Traveler

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5 hours ago, Traveler said:

Being as specific as I can - the only way to inherit eternal life is through a valid and working covenant with G-d - which is the ancient definition of righteousness.  I will use the secular example of a mortgage.   If you enter into a legal mortgage agreement with a lender to purchase a house and then half way through your agreed payments decide to no longer make any payments.  The legal truth is that regardless that there was once a mortgage agreement in full validity and force - that house will not be yours at the end of the contracted time.  In addition you will loose all claim to whatever you paid up and until you determined to invalidate your covenantal contract.   Scripture is rampant with references of disloyalty to divine contract as wicked and evil.  Are you in any way suggesting otherwise?

 

The Traveler

The scriptures speak of the process as a refiner's fire. God will refine us just as much as we allow Him to. If at any point we step back and say "That's it. That's as far as I'm willing to go" then we have self-imposed damnation upon ourselves or in other words placed an artificial limit on our progression towards eternal life. 

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On 10/29/2020 at 1:24 PM, Traveler said:

Being as specific as I can - the only way to inherit eternal life is through a valid and working covenant with G-d - which is the ancient definition of righteousness.  I will use the secular example of a mortgage.   If you enter into a legal mortgage agreement with a lender to purchase a house and then half way through your agreed payments decide to no longer make any payments.  The legal truth is that regardless that there was once a mortgage agreement in full validity and force - that house will not be yours at the end of the contracted time.  In addition you will loose all claim to whatever you paid up and until you determined to invalidate your covenantal contract.   Scripture is rampant with references of disloyalty to divine contract as wicked and evil.  Are you in any way suggesting otherwise?

 

The Traveler

The mortgage example makes sense. One has to endure to the end with all the payments.

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