The spiritual climate of early America was dominated by the palpable urgency of men and women alike looking to hear from God through dreams they would interpret as personal revelations. As a result of the activities, it didn’t take a lot of coaxing to encourage many to try their hand at creating new churches.
This being said, Joe Smith wasn’t the only false prophet roaming upstate New York’s landscape in the early 19th century. The eastern seaboard had already seen its fair share of ne-er-do-wells with the likes of Emanuel Swedenborg (1688–1772) from Quincy, MA, and a small sect of the Shakers who settled in the Groveland Shaker Village, in Groveland, NY c. 1826. Their communal living system just so happened to be 62 miles southwest of Palmyra, NY, the birthplace of Mormonism itself.
In addition to those three, early America also housed numerous other false ideologies popular in the day. Any cursory glance at a history book reveals the widespread practice of mysticism, folk religion, and Universalism, to name a few.
It was during this time Martin Harris began leaving an indelible mark in the world.
Harris met up with Joseph Smith c. 1826, and the two instantly became the epitome of misery loves company. Beginning in 1828 they were living examples of whatever could go wrong most definitely would, when Harris lost the first 116 pages to the Book of Mormon Smith had translated. One calamity after another plagued the two men, and if it weren’t for Harris’ money, it’s safe to say Smith wouldn’t have had anything to do with him.
Harris, given to bouts of depression, and fits of long-winded revelations, was also highly spooked by the mere ‘flickering of a candle’. His reputation of church jumping preceded him with his track record of belonging to five churches by the time he and Smith began working together, and after he left Mormonism he joined no less than seven or eight more. See “Martin Harris: Mormonism’s Early Convert”, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 19 (Winter 1986).
Now that we have a pretty good visual of what was going on, it’s easier to understand the context of why Martin Harris’ false prophecies were something to take note of!
With the Church’s reputation of denouncing America, Harris’ gift of revelatory knowledge bequeathed to him by God grew more confident. He wasn’t shy about giving stern pronouncements against America, or those he deemed to be sinful infidels.
When we look at Harris’ montage of hatred, we have to ask ourselves…is this something God would say and where in the Bible does it say this?
Christians weigh truth with God’s revealed word. We can always know if something is true or not by looking to the God who doesn’t lie, nor is He a God of confusion. See 1 Cor 14:33, 1 John 4:1.
“Within four years from September 1832, there will not be one wicked person left in the United States; that the righteous will be gathered to Zion, (Missouri) and that there will be no President over these United States after that time. MARTIN HARRIS.
I do hereby assert and declare that in four years from the date hereof, every sectarian and religious denomination in the United States, shall be broken down, and every Christian shall be gathered unto the Mormonites, and the rest of the human race shall perish. If these things do not take place, I will hereby consent to have my hand separated from my body. MARTIN HARRIS.”
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