Doctrine and Covenants 87

Doctrine and Covenants 87

Historical Context

This section, commonly known as “the revelation on war,” was received on Christmas Day, 1832. Joseph Smith later recorded that the revelation came during a time when he was deeply troubled over the state of the world. In his history, he wrote the following: “Appearances of troubles among the nations, became more visible, this season, than they had previously done, since the church began her journey out of the wilderness. The ravages of the cholera were frightful, in almost all the large cities on the globe; and the plague broke out in India; while the United States, amid all her pomp and greatness, was threatened with immediate dissolution.”1 Many of these troubles had been highlighted a few days earlier in the Painesville Telegraph, a nearby newspaper. In some ways, God gave the revelation in Doctrine and Covenants 87 in response to Joseph Smith experiencing a feeling that is common to many of us—anxiety after reading the news.

Of particular concern to Joseph Smith was the nullification crisis involving South Carolina. Joseph Smith wrote that “the people of South Carolina, in convention assembled, passed ordinances, declaring their state, a free and Independent Nation; and appointed Thursday the 31st^. day of January 1833, as a day of humiliation and prayer, to implore Almighty God to vouchsafe his blessings, and restore liberty and happiness within their borders. President [Andrew] Jackson issued his proclamation against this rebellion; called out a force sufficient to quell it and implored the blessings of God to assist the Nation to extricate itself from the horrors of the approaching and solemn Crisis.”2 The crisis Joseph Smith expressed concern over was resolved in March 1833 when a compromise tariff averted a potential civil war in the United States.

Though this revelation was received in 1832, Brigham Young noted that it was intentionally left out of the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants. In an 1860 discourse, Brigham declared: “That revelation was reserved at the time the compilation for that book was made by Oliver Cowdery and others, in Kirtland. It was not wisdom to publish it to the world, and it remained in the private escritoire [a small writing desk]. Brother Joseph had that revelation concerning this nation at a time when the brethren were reflecting and reasoning with regard to African slavery on this continent, and the slavery of the children of men throughout the world.”3 Section 87 was first published in the 1851 edition of the Pearl of Great Price and was included in the 1876 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants.4

See “Historical Introduction,” Revelation, 25 December 1832 [D&C 87].

Verse-by-Verse Commentary

D&C 87:1

1 Verily, thus saith the Lord concerning the wars that will shortly come to pass, beginning at the rebellion of South Carolina, which will eventually terminate in the death and misery of many souls;

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.5

D&C 87:2–3

2 And the time will come that war will be poured out upon all nations, beginning at this place.

3 For behold, the Southern States shall be divided against the Northern States, and the Southern States will call on other nations, even the nation of Great Britain, as it is called, and they shall also call upon other nations, in order to defend themselves against other nations; and then war shall be poured out upon all nations.

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.6

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.7 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. 

D&C 87:4

4 And it shall come to pass, after many days, slaves shall rise up against their masters, who shall be marshaled and disciplined for 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.8 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 87.9

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.

D&C 87:5–6

5 And it shall come to pass also that the remnants who are left of the land will marshal themselves, and shall become exceedingly angry, and shall vex the Gentiles with a sore vexation.

6 And thus, with the sword and by bloodshed the inhabitants of the earth shall mourn; and with famine, and plague, and earthquake, and the thunder of heaven, and the fierce and vivid lightning also, shall the inhabitants of the earth be made to feel the wrath, and indignation, and chastening hand of an Almighty God, until the consumption decreed hath made a full end of all nations;

We do not know the precise identity of the “remnants” described in this passage. This could refer to the remnants of the Book of Mormon peoples found in the Western Hemisphere. It may also be a reference to the remnants of the House of Israel. When Jesus Christ ministered among the people of the Americas, he uttered a prophecy that holds some parallels to the wording used here: “Then shall the remnants, which shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the earth, be gathered in from the east and from the west, and from the south and from the north; and they shall be brought to the knowledge of the Lord their God, who hath redeemed them” (3 Nephi 20:13). The Savior continued, “if the Gentiles do not repent after the blessing which they shall receive, after they have scattered my people . . . Then shall ye, who are a remnant of the house of Jacob, go forth among them; and ye shall be in the midst of them who shall be many; and ye shall be among them as a lion among the beasts of the forest, and as a young lion among the flocks of sheep” (3 Nephi 20:15–18).

The Savior concludes the prophecy with the following: “And I will gather my people together as a man gathereth his sheaves into the floor. For I will make my people with whom the Father hath covenanted, yea, I will make thy horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass. And thou shalt beat in pieces many people; and I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth. And behold, I am he who doeth it” (3 Nephi 20:19; see also Micah 5:8). These words indicate that the restored house of Israel will assist in bringing about “the end of nations.” While this does not mean that the people of these nations will be destroyed, it does mean that their governments will be dissolved as the kingdom of God spreads throughout the earth (Article of Faith 10).

D&C 87:7–8

7 That the cry of the saints, and of the blood of the saints, shall cease to come up into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, from the earth, to be avenged of their enemies.

8 Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come; for behold, it cometh quickly, saith the Lord. Amen.

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.”10 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.”11

Footnotes

• 1. JS History, vol. A-1, 244.
• 2. JS History, vol. A-1, 244.
• 3. Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 8:68.
• 4. Lyndon W. Cook, The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 1985, 180.
• 5. 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.
• 6. Shelby Foote, The Civil War: A Narrative, 1986, 3 vols., 1:134–37.
• 7. “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.
• 8. “Black Civil War Soldiers,” revised January 25, 2021, https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/black-civil-war-soldiers.
• 9. “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.
• 10. “Hosts,” Lexham Bible Dictionary, 2016.
• 11. Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Times in Which We Live,” October 2001 General Conference.