Though the nullification crisis in 1832 ultimately did not lead to a civil war in the United States, Joseph Smith stood by the accuracy of this prophesy, even after the crisis had passed. In a discourse given on April 2, 1843, he declared, “I prophesy, in the name of the Lord God, that the commencement of the difficulties which will cause much bloodshed previous to the coming of the Son of Man will be in South Carolina. It may probably arise through the slave question. This a voice declared to me, while I was praying earnestly on the subject, December 25th, 1832” (D&C 130:12–13). He was eventually proven correct. On April 12, 1861, the American Civil War began when Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumter, a sea fort near Charleston, South Carolina.

In many ways the American Civil War was the beginning of the wars leading up to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The war proved to be far more bloody and costly than anyone could have imagined. The prophecy given to Joseph Smith said the war would terminate in the “death and misery of many souls,” and to this day, there is no war in the history of the United States that approaches the Civil War on the death scale. A conservative estimate puts the number of Civil War deaths at 618,000. By comparison, in other major wars fought by the United States, the number of estimated deaths range from 4,435 in the American Revolution; 2,260 in the War of 1812; 13,283 in the Mexican War; 2,446 in the Spanish-American War; 116,516 in World War I; 405,399 in World War II; 36,574 in the Korean War; 58,220 in the Vietnam War; 383 in the Gulf War; and 6,773+ in Iraq/Afghanistan. However, these estimates only take into account the soldiers killed in the war, not the massive civilian casualties and the destruction of property wrought in the conflicts.¹

1. Matthew Green, “How Many Soldiers Died in Each U.S. War?,” May 25, 2017, https://www.kqed.org/lowdown/22209/interactive-american-war-deaths-by-the-numbers.

If this revelation is read only as a prophecy of the Civil War, it would be remarkable on its own. Depending on how the prophecy is read, however, it may also be a prophecy of the world wars fought in the first half of the twentieth century. The prophecy declares that the Southern nations will call upon other nations, even Great Britain, for assistance in the war.

During the Civil War, William L. Yancey led a group of commissioners from the Southern States that met with Lord John Russell, the British secretary of state for foreign affairs, and with Napoleon III of France. Other commissioners from the South approached Spain and Belgium for help in the war.²

The prophecy further states that “they,” possibly meaning Great Britain and other European nations, would in turn call upon other nations for assistance. Parts of this prophecy came to fulfillment during the first and second world wars, during which Britain called upon the United States and other nations to come to their assistance. During WWI and WWII, war was poured out upon all nations. The toll of the death and misery experienced by both military members and civilians in these wars has yet to be exceeded. One historical group estimates that 15 million soldiers and 25 million civilians were killed in WWII—but these are conservative numbers. Depending on how casualties are counted, there may have been more than 50 million civilian deaths just in the nation of China.³ Taken as a prophecy of not just the American Civil War but also the world wars of the twentieth century, this revelation becomes even more remarkable.

2. Shelby Foote, The Civil War: A Narrative, 1986, 3 vols., 1:134–37.

3. “Research Starters: Worldwide Deaths in World War II,” accessed March 25, 2021, https://www.nationalww2museum.org/students-teachers/student-resources/research-starters/research-starters-worldwide-deaths-world-war.

This prophecy was partially fulfilled during the American Civil War, during which around 180,000 black men served in the Union army, which constituted about 10 percent of the total force. Most of these soldiers—by one estimate, about 90,000—were former slaves from the Confederate States who had fled and joined the Northern forces.⁴ By the end of the war the Southern States became so strained for resources that the Confederate Congress passed a bill allowing the armies of the South to draft enslaved workers as soldiers in the war. The war ended before these soldiers arrived in large numbers. But the act alone would have been unthinkable in 1832 when Joseph Smith received section 87.⁵

Taken as a prophecy larger than just the American Civil War, this revelation may also speak of larger upheavals throughout the world. When the revelation was given to Joseph Smith, a small number of European nations ruled the majority of the people on the earth. The millennial wars of the twentieth century completely overthrew this system, creating hundreds of new nation states. Dozens of new nations came into being as a result of the World Wars, and other nations went through dramatic changes. Even in our time, wars and rumors of war continue among the sons and daughters of God.

4. “Black Civil War Soldiers,” revised January 25, 2021, https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/black-civil-war-soldiers.

5. “Confederacy Approves Black Soldiers,” revised March 10, 2021, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/confederacy-approves-black-soldiers#:~:text=Several%20thousand%20Black%20men%20were,who%20fought%20for%20the%20Union.

This prophecy was partially fulfilled during the American Civil War, during which around 180,000 black men served in the Union army, which constituted about 10 percent of the total force. Most of these soldiers—by one estimate, about 90,000—were former slaves from the Confederate States who had fled and joined the Northern forces.⁶ By the end of the war the Southern States became so strained for resources that the Confederate Congress passed a bill allowing the armies of the South to draft enslaved workers as soldiers in the war. The war ended before these soldiers arrived in large numbers. But the act alone would have been unthinkable in 1832 when Joseph Smith received section 87.⁷

Taken as a prophecy larger than just the American Civil War, this revelation may also speak of larger upheavals throughout the world. When the revelation was given to Joseph Smith, a small number of European nations ruled the majority of the people on the earth. The millennial wars of the twentieth century completely overthrew this system, creating hundreds of new nation states. Dozens of new nations came into being as a result of the World Wars, and other nations went through dramatic changes. Even in our time, wars and rumors of war continue among the sons and daughters of God.

6. “Black Civil War Soldiers,” revised January 25, 2021, https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/black-civil-war-soldiers.

7. “Confederacy Approves Black Soldiers,” revised March 10, 2021, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/confederacy-approves-black-soldiers#:~:text=Several%20thousand%20Black%20men%20were,who%20fought%20for%20the%20Union.

The words of this prophecy convey a world of chaos and calamity leading up to the Second Coming. As indicated here and in other places, the Saints will not entirely escape this destruction (see Revelation 16:6, 17:6, 18:24; 2 Nephi 28:10; Mormon 8:27, 41). However, this does not mean that the Lord is not in control or will not protect His disciples. He is reassuringly referred to here as “the Lord of Sabaoth” (Sabaoth is a Hebrew term referring to both human and angelic armies), which phrase is often translated as “the Lord of Hosts.”⁸ The Lord of Hosts will intervene in the conflicts leading up to the Second Coming, bear His power to end bloodshed on earth, and reign as the Prince of Peace.

Those who live in troubled times need not be troubled themselves. We can find peace by standing in holy places, as the Lord counsels in this revelation. The Lord is overseeing events, and we can take comfort in knowing that whatever happens on earth, there is joy waiting in the next life. In anticipating these blessings, the Saints should not give up on their efforts to build Zion and make the world a better place. Shortly after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, President Gordon B. Hinckley addressed the Church in a general conference. Many in the audience, both in the United States and around the world, were still reeling from the horrific acts of violence that had been acted out in front of them. President Gordon B. Hinckley spoke to the Church, declaring with firm certainty, “Are these perilous times? They are. But there is no need to fear. We can have peace in our hearts and in our homes. We can be an influence for good in this world, every one of us.”⁹

8. “Hosts,” Lexham Bible Dictionary, 2016.

9. Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Times in Which We Live,” October 2001 General Conference.