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FAIR is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, practice, and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
It is claimed that the ordination blessing given to Lyman Johnson of the Twelve was a false prophecy:
Given that Lyman Johnson apostatized and forsook his role in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, any promise made to him in a blessing would have been forfeited.
Even so, there is nothing in the blessing which should be classified as "failed" (though some aspects await fulfillment).
The blessing is not clear about which gathering is being referred to. Is it the gathering of all the tribes of Israel? Is it the gathering of the Jews to Jerusalem? These events were not to be completed within Johnson's day, or even our own.
But, there are other "gatherings" discussed and promised. Is it the gathering of the Saints into Zion? Johnson certainly lived to see the Saints gathered to Kirtland and the blessings of the temple within three years, in 1836. His lifetime would also see the gathering of the Saints to Salt Lake City, even if he did not participate as a member of the Twelve. Critics must rule out all of these potential readings if they are to label this as "false prophecy." They cannot do so.
This promise nowhere asserts that Johnson will be a mortal when he sees this glorious event. This promise could be fulfilled whether Johnson is alive or dead. This promise has not yet been fulfilled, but every Christian who awaits Jesus' return must admit that its fulfillment lies in the future, when "all flesh shall see me [Christ] together" at His Second Coming (see D&C 101꞉23, compare Isaiah 40:5, Luke 3:6).
Notes
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