Jesus Won’t Return Until Joseph Turns 85
History of the Church 5:335-337; “I was once praying earnestly upon this subject, and a voice said unto me, “My son, if thou livest until thou art eighty-five years of age, thou shalt see the face of the Son of Man.” I was left to draw my own conclusions concerning this; and I took the liberty to conclude that if I did live to that time, He would make His appearance. But I do not say whether He will make his appearance or I shall go where He is. I prophesy in the name of the Lord God, and let it be written—the Son of Man will not come in the clouds of heaven till I am eighty-five years old.”
Prophecy given at Church Conference April 1843. Also see D&C 130:14-17.
Joseph died at the age of 39 in June 1844.
God tells us in 1 Cor. 14:33 that He is not a God of confusion but a God of peace. Clearly, if this isn’t the epitome of confusion nothing else will qualify.
There is nothing confusing about it at all. It is all very simple, if you actually think about it.
The prophecy was not that Christ would come when Joseph was 85, but that he would not come before this time. And it was only valid if Joseph Smith lived to be 85 in the first place.
Soooo, Christ’s return was all hinged on whether or not Smith lived to be 85 years old?
I have to read the portion of the text (I prophesy in the name of the Lord God, and let it be written—the Son of Man will not come in the clouds of heaven till I am eighty-five years old.) as; Jesus is not coming back to earth until Joseph Smith is 85 years old
It could mean that, if taken out of context of everything else that he is saying. In context the meaning of this is only that Christ would not come prior to him turning 85, because that is all the information the Joseph Was given. If and when he turned 85 Joseph was to see the Savior, but he refused to say whether that would be the second coming, or a personal appearance.
One cannot take just one sentence and claim to know its meaning without taking into account the context in which it is said.