Notes on the White Horse Prophecy

Noel G. Brinhairst and Craig Foster Introduction

Noel G. Brinhairst:
- Independent scholar and Professor Emeritus at the College of the Sequoias.
- Retired after 35 years.
- BA and MA from the University of Utah, PhD from UC Davis.
- Author/editor of nine books since 1981.
- Co-edited Scattering of the Saints: Schism within Mormonism (2007) and co-authored The Mormon Quest for the Presidency (2008).
- Longtime member and former president (1999) of the Mormon History Association; MHA historian (2002).
- Member of the John Whitmer Historical Association, president from 2005-2006.
Craig Foster:
- Research specialist at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.
- BA in History (1986), MA in History (1989), and Master of Library and Information Sciences (1991) from BYU.
- Author of Penny Tracks and Polemics: A Critical Analysis of Anti-Mormon Pamphleteering in Great Britain, 1837-1860.
- Published in various journals (Dialogue, Journal of Mormon History, etc.).
- Writer for encyclopedias.
- Involved in MHA and John Whitmer Historical Association.

Origin of the White Horse Prophecy Study

The presentation is based on research for their book, Mormon Quest for the Presidency.
The paper being presented is essentially Appendix B of the book.
Mormon Quest for the Presidency covers ten individuals with Mormon connections who ran for president, from Joseph Smith to Mitt Romney.
The study of the White Horse Prophecy is ongoing and more extensive than what was included in the book.
The White Horse Prophecy is described as a complex, convoluted, controversial, and mysterious phenomenon.
Recent research at the LDS Church Library has deepened the mystery.
The White Horse Prophecy came up during the campaigns of Mitt Romney, George Romney (1968), and Orrin Hatch (1999).

Acknowledgements

Thanks to FairMormon for the invitation to present.
Appreciation to George Kobe for his path-breaking study of the White Horse Prophecy.
Thanks to Scott Gordon for the invitation and for encouraging a PowerPoint presentation.

Introduction to the White Horse Prophecy

The White Horse Prophecy is a controversial revelation attributed to Joseph Smith Jr.
Allegedly given around May 6, 1843, but its existence wasn't known until after Joseph Smith's death.
Edwin Rushton, an elderly Latter-day Saint, produced a copy of the prophecy, claiming to have been present when it was given.
Rushton was an English convert who migrated to Nauvoo shortly before the supposed revelation.
After Smith's death, Rushton moved to Utah, working as a miller, farmer, and stock raiser.
Before his death in 1904, Rushton made a notarized statement affirming the prophecy's legitimacy.
James H. Anderson (author/editor of the Deseret News) wrote down Rushton’s statement; Arnold G. Juke (Mormon businessman) witnessed/notarized it.
The most widely circulated version is from the journal of John J. Roberts of Paradise, Utah.

Core Message of the Prophecy

Reflects Mormon millenarianism common before, during, and after Joseph Smith's 1844 presidential campaign and assassination.
Primary message: Great confusion, revolution, and wickedness will occur in the latter days before the end times and the Second Coming.
Named the "White Horse Prophecy" because it uses the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse from the Book of Revelation.
Biblical Horsemen:
- White horse: Pestilence.
- Red horse: War.
- Black horse: Famine.
- Pale horse: Death.
White Horse Prophecy Horsemen (symbolic):
- White horse: Latter-day Saints in the Rocky Mountains who will establish Zion and become rich and powerful.
- Pale horse: Non-Mormon population of European descent in the U.S. From this group, the honest in heart will gather to Zion for safety.
- Red horse: A powerful group (often interpreted as American Indians) who, along with the White Horse, will protect peace and safety in the Rocky Mountains.
- Black horse: People of African ancestry who fear being enslaved again and will seek safety with the English (British bayonets).

Secondary Message: The US Constitution

During this time of disorder, the U.S. Constitution and government will be in great jeopardy, hanging by a thread.
If the thread breaks, the U.S. federal government will end.
The Constitution will be saved by the combined actions of the White Horse (Mormons) and the Red Horse (Indian allies).
The White Horse will have power to rebuke nations afar off.
The last great struggle will be when all of America becomes the Zion of God.

Latter-day Saint Response to the Prophecy

Mixed response over the years.
The "Constitution hanging by a thread" portion has been favorably accepted and commented on by LDS leaders.
BYU President Rex E. Lee, quoting BYU professor Donald L. Cannon, noted over 40 instances where Joseph Smith and six successors used the "thread" metaphor.
Brigham Young (1854): "Will the constitution be destroyed? No. It will be held in bullet by this people…the time will come when the destiny of the nation will hang upon a single thread. At that critical juncture, this people will step forth and save it from threatened destruction."
Brigham Young (1855): "When the constitution of The United States hangs as it were by a single thread, they will have to call for the Mormon elders to save it from utter destruction."
John Taylor: "…when the nations shall be convulsed, we shall stand forth as saviors and finally redeem a ruined world, not only in religious but in political point of view."
Joseph F. Smith: "Joseph Smith the prophet was inspired to affirm and ratify this truth…the time would come when the constitution of our country would hang as it were by a thread and that the Latter day Saints above all other people in the world would come to the rescue of this great and glorious Palladium of our liberty."
Subsequent church presidents and general authorities continued to affirm this.
Joseph Fielding Smith (1950): "…the time would come when this constitution would hang as by a thread…It is time the people of The United States were waking up with the understanding that if they don't save the constitution from the dangers that threaten it, we will have a change of government."
Harold B. Lee: "…the time would come when the constitution would hang by a thread and that the elders would step of this church would step forth and save it from destruction…We alone know by revelation as to how the constitution came into being, and we alone know by revelation the destiny of this nation."
Ezra Taft Benson: Repeatedly referred to Joseph Smith's statements about dangers to the Constitution. In 1988, stated that "this people will step forth and save the constitution from threatened destruction with the elders of Israel widely spread over the nation will, at that crucial time, successfully rally the righteous of our country and provide the necessary balance of strength to save the institutions of constitutional government."

Denunciation of Other Parts of the Prophecy

LDS leaders have strongly denounced most other parts of the White Horse Prophecy.
Joseph F. Smith and Joseph Fielding Smith (1918): Responded negatively to printed copies circulating among members. Described it as proceeding "out of darkness concocted in some corner, surreptitiously presented and not coming through the proper channels of the church."
Joseph F. Smith: Characterized it as "ridiculous and a lot of trash…two of our brethren have put together some broken sentences from the prophet Joseph Smith that they might have heard from time to time and formulated this so called revelation out of it…It is simply false."
Bruce R. McConkey: Called it "a false and deceptive document" in Mormon Doctrine and "a spurious bit of prophetic imagery that refuses to die out among sensation seekers" in How to Start a Cult.
The White Horse Prophecy has never been accepted as verifiable binding prophecy by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
George Kobe: "…has been sadly denounced. No authority of the church has ever spoken its support of this document, not once…It was never corroborated by the prophet and he never confirmed that the text correctly transmitted what he said or intended."
LDS scholar Donald Penrod also dismisses its legitimacy with a textual analysis.
Duane S. Crowder offers an ambiguous assessment, saying it is impossible to say with certainty it is valid but leans towards accepting it, advising it be used with care and discretion until positive proof can be obtained.

Presidential Candidates and the White Horse Prophecy

Three Latter-day Saint presidential candidates faced questions about the prophecy.
George Romney (1967): Asked about the "constitution hanging by a thread." Replied that Brigham Young, quoting Joseph Smith, meant the question of proceeding on the Constitution would arise, and Mormon leaders would be involved in answering it. He felt the Constitution was increasingly strained and in jeopardy.
Mitt Romney: Said his father "did not believe in it."
Orrin Hatch (1999): Asked if he received a divine nudge to run inspired by the prophecy, he vehemently denied it. Complained that Democrats' political correctness would ruin the country and religious freedom was declining. Stated, "…when the constitution literally is hanging by a thread."
Mitt Romney: Wall Street Journal article (2006) suggested some Latter-day Saints saw him as fulfilling the prophecy. Romney discounted it, saying it wasn't official church doctrine and "I don't put that at the heart of my religious belief." Giuliani's campaign sought to tie Romney to the prophecy to suggest he wanted to save the Constitution.

Conclusion

George Kobe sought to discount the prophecy, stating it is not fair to bring up and has been rejected by every church leader who has talked about it.
The presenters disagree with Kobe's statement, noting the prophecy's persistence, especially during Mitt Romney's campaign.
The prophecy continues to have "legs" because of its continued reference by many Latter-day Saints.