Do Mormons believe that they can set a date for the second coming of Jesus?
When asked about the time of His return, Jesus said, “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” Matt 24:36 In the Doctrine and Covenants, we also have this from Joseph Smith: “14 I was once praying very earnestly to know the time of the coming of the Son of Man, when I heard a voice repeat the following: “15 Joseph, my son, if thou livest until thou art eighty-five years old, thou shalt see the face of the Son of Man; therefore let this suffice, and trouble me no more on this matter. “16 I was left thus, without being able to decide whether this coming referred to the beginning of the millennium or to some previous appearing, or whether I should die and thus see his face. “17 I believe the coming of the Son of Man will not be any sooner than that time.” Many people have tried to use this revelation to show that Joseph Smith was not a prophet because Jesus did not return in 1890 (the year Joseph would have been 85 years old). However, th
Actually YES! I believe any Mormon can set a date for the second coming. However, if you mean, can we predict the CORRECT date, the answer is NO! As has been explained before, even Jesus Christ himself does not know that date. Or at least he didn’t while he was talking to Joseph Smith in the 1800’s AD. So if anyone tries to set a date for that event, they have a 50-50 chance of being right!
This notion probably stems from Joseph Smith’s prophesy in 1835 that the second coming of Jesus would occur within 56 years. “President Smith then stated that the meeting had been called, because God had commanded it; and it was made known to him by vision and by the Holy Spirit. He then gave a relation of some of the circumstances attending us while journeying to Zion–our trials, sufferings; and said God had not designed all this for nothing, but He had it in remembrance yet; and it was the will of God that those who went to Zion, with a determination to lay down their lives, if necessary, should be ordained to the ministry, and go forth to prune the vineyard for the last time, or the coming of the Lord, which was nigh–even fifty-six years should wind up the scene.” (History of the Church, Vol.
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