JAN[uary] 1st 1841
I find myself this New Years morning in com-
I received a letter from Elder H. Gloverthe heavens & Earth of the coming of the Son of
Man, & may thy will be done on earth in all
things as it is done in heaven. I ask all these
things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.
LONDON JANY 1st 1841
THE YEAR 1840.
It has gone, taken its departure to return
no more forever. It has bourn its report to
heaven, wheth[er] it be good or bad, its secnes
will not again return upon the stage of action
to be presented to the eye of man. To the
reflecting mind it is evident, that no period of
the nineteenth centaury hath presented greater
& more important events to the world, & lade a
foundation for still greater things to follow in
quick succession than 1840. It is also equ
ally true in various ages of the world that
those subjects & things which have been in
reality of the greatest importance to the whole
world even subjects upon which the vary tempo-
ral existance & prosperity of the Nations of the
Earth hung, have been the most out of sight, the
last to attract the publick mind, & when discov-
erd, considerd of the least consequence, scorned
& ridiculed to the last by a thoughtless multitude
who like the ox going to the slaughter know not
the day of their visitation. This was evident
ly the case in the Days of Noah, of Lot, of Cyrus,
of the Days of Jesus Christ before the
overthrow of Jerrusalem & the dispersion
of the Jews, Among all the gentile nations
whare they have remained Deprived of the
privileges of the land of their fathers untill
the present day. We are informed it will
be in like manner at the coming of the
Son of Man. What are the signs of the
times in this present generation even in
1840, As it was in the days of Lot & Noah
So it may be now, then the majority of
the world, did not dissern those things that
were of the most interest, but they felt the
most interested in those things that soon-
est perished. In like manner the present
generation as a mass among all the gentile
Nations do not seem to dissern or take
any interest in any of the signs of the
times of 1840 except those leading
direct, to the Money & Stock Exchanges
here the zeal, struggle & Interest of
the world seems to centre to Devise
some means whareby they can devise some
means secure unto themselves, dollars &
cents, Pounds shillings & pence, & eart[h]ly
dominion & power, but in the midst of this
mighty struggle, there is a small portion of
the community among the Nations of the
earth, who are looking upon other singns of
this present generation as indicating a day
big with events, even the restoration of pri-
mitive Christianity, the proclamation of the ful-
ness of the Everlasting gospel among all natio-
ns both Gentile & Jew, the restoration of the
Jews to their own land, the rebuilding of
Jerrusalem, great changes, Judgments, wars
& revolutions of the gentile nations, the
Second Advent of the Mesiah in the clouds
of heaven, & the great Millennium or rest
of the Saints of one thousand years all
of which events have been predicted by
the Holy Prophets who have Spoken since
the world began. None feel more interested
in the signs of the Heavens & the earth which
clearly indicate these great & important
events than the Latter Day Saints.
Let us for a moment take a survey of 1840
which has been a year of interest among all
Nations. This is the tenth year of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. the Church
has never been as prosperous as through 1840
though she has just passed through a seene
of unparelled persecution by the whole
state of Missouri, who has driven, robed
& murdered many of ther Saints, & entirly
expeled from the state about 12000 of
the Church, but as the persecution at Antioch
proved to spread the work abroad evrywhare
so it has been in this case, it has spread as
it were with tenfold rapidity not ownly
th[r]oughout America, but in England Scotland
Wales, & Ireland. Some of the Lamanite or
American Indians have began to embrace the
fulness of the gospel which is an important
event in the History of the rise & progress
of the Church. While many of the Elders
have been lifting up their voices in the
most noted villages & cities of America
The Twelve have been planting the work &
esstablishing churches in some of the most
Notable cities of Europe. During the year
1840 churches have been esstablished in
Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Worcester
Hereford, London, Glasgow, Paisley Edingborgh
& many other parts of England Scotland Wales &
Ireland. Elders have also gone to South
Australia, the East Indies, & Germany more
than 4000 has been added to the Church by
Baptism in Europe in 1840, & two of the
Twelve have started on a mission from
Nauvoo to visit the Jews in the Holy land
of Jerrusalem. This indicates at least that
the Lord has set his hand to prune his vineya-
rd one more for the last time to prepare the
way for his Second Advent, & that he will
make a short work in the Eearth, & cause
light & truth to prevail. In the midst of this
scenery, the hand of God is evidently began to
be lade in a degree upon the nations in Judmen[t]
In the United States many have suffered
The city of Natchez was instantly destroyed
by a whirlwind. Nearly the whole country
from the mouth of the Ohio to New Orleans
for more than 1000 miles was inundated
by water which has prooved vary destruct-
ive to all that country, & many parts that the
water could not reach Insects have help destroy
there has also been great losses sustained in oth[e]r
parts of that land by storm, hail & fire, & in
additions to many other events in America
1840 has brought a change of politicks through
out that Nation which will of course make a
revolution in Government Affairs in many respe[c]ts.
Wars & rumours of wars are among the signs
of Europe. Though England feels at the present
time as though she was swaying the sceptre over
nearly all the earth, even for the first time
waving the british flag in China, still she
is not without her troubles, she is begining
to share in that distress of nations & which per
plexity, which will be prominant among the signs
of the last days, great poverty prevails among
the working class in England & more esspecially
in Ireland, much crying for bread is heard in
the streets. Erance has had great troubles from
sources she least expected, for while she had
been to great expens in fiting out an army of
500,000 men to assist Mehemit Ali & for other
purposes. Endeavering at the same time to fort
ify Paris by surrounding it with a strong
wall, but in the midst of this scenery they have
been suffering under one constant torrent
of Judgment, the sea has hove itself beyound
its bounds the rivers Seine, Saone & Rhone
overflowed their banks turned out of therr course
& these created a flood unpparellelled in that land
which washed away both corn & wine into the
french Lake, cities Inundated, villages destroyed
cattle drowned, towns burnt, farmers ruind
which created great trouble at home without
war The French chambers appropriated 5,000000
of Frances [Francs] to relieve the present wants of the suffers
of those inundations. But among the signs
of 1840, none are more prominant than those
of the eastern world, even in the Holy Land
Mehemeit Ali, has made much noise in the world
by invading Syria & trying to take power
unto himself, & tas the Tirkish power was
not sufficient to check him in his progress
England with other European Powers have
interfered, & caused Mehemet Ali to lie passive
at their feet, but the effect of all these
movements have been to prepare the way for
the return of the Jews to the land of there
Fathers, & while the Lord is begining to give
the Jews favor in the eyes of Kings that they
m[a]y become their nursing fathers & Queens th[e]ir
nursing mothers, they begin to see it time for
them to make a right use of so favorable an
opportunity & immediately return & rebuild
Jerrusalem, & the call is now is now going
forth among the Jews in all nations to ret-
urn & esspecially among the German continen
tal Jews. A call of this Kind is published in
the (Der orient) a German Newspapor & among
many other things says "In no country of
the earth are our brethren so numerous as in
Syria, in none do they live in as dens masses
so independant of the surrounding inhabitants
in none do they persevere so steadfastly in thei[r]
faith in the promise of the Fathers as on the bea-
utiful shores of the Orontes. In Damascus
alone live near 60,000. [FIGURES] The power of
our enemies is gone, the angel of discord has
long since hown down their mighty hosts, & yet
ye do not bestir yourselves people of Jehovah
what hinders, nothing but your own supineness.
"People of Jehovah raise yourselves from
your thousand years slumber! Rally round
leaders; have really the will, a moses will not be
wanting. The rights of nations will never grow
old, take possession of the land of your fath
ers, build a third time the Temple on Zion—
greater & more magnificent than ever. Trust
in the Lord who has led you safely through
the vale of misery thousands of years. He
also will not forsake you in your last con-
flict."
These things are clearly in
fulfillment of the predictions of the Prophets
from Moses to Christ, & clearly shows the
present day is big with events. Jews &
Christians have now an equal privilege in
Jerrusalem & among other privileges are
permitted to gather their own taxes which
has not before been allowed them. The
eastern world has also sufferd by Earth
quake & Storm. Several late Earthquakes
in the Ionian Islands many lives have perished
On the 1st of Dec A dreadful storm raged on
the black Sea which caused great destruction
of shiping & life, 18 Greek vessels 3 English
& a much greater number, of Austrian
Sardinians, & Napolitans, were utterly lost
even in the channel 7 were cast away.
Thus the Lord is beginning to vex all nations
with whirlwind, flood, war Earthquakes,
Fire, & many Judgments, ass well as signs
in the Heavens & Earth of the coming of
the Son of Man still the Nations will not
learn wisdom neither practice righteousness
by the things which they suffer neither
do they dissern the signs of the times even
of 1840. What 1841 will bring to pass
time must determine. Their will be an
increas of signs in the Heavens & earth, &
still greater losses by storm tempest &
Earthquakes, on the land & sea & by fire.
Trouble will be seen in the United States Gover-
ernment wars & rumours of wars will increas
among all nations, the return of the Jews
will be hastened The Distress of nations with
Perplexity will be felt more than ever throughout
the earth. In fine evry year from this day
henceforth will be attended, with an increase
of strange things sights, signs, & wonders
perplexities, tribulations, Judgments, wars
& rumours of wars, Revolutions & changes
overturns & Destructions, attended with
blood, fire & smoke the sun turning to dar-
kness the Moon into Blood & the stars falli-
ng from heaven, untill Babylon the great
comes in rememberance before God, & is
cast down to rise no more, & the Son of
Man Desends in the clouds of Heaven to
Deliver Israel & reign with his SAINTS
Browse people Wilford Woodruff mentioned on this day in his journal. Click on the person's name to view a short bio and other pages they are mentioned on or click on "View in Family Search" to view their FamilySearch profile.
Browse places mentioned in Wilford Woodruff's journal entry on this day. Click on the place names to view other pages where they are mentioned.
View selected quotes from this page in Wilford Woodruff's journal.
there is a small portion of the community among the nations of the earth, who are looking upon other singns of this present generation as indicating a day big with events, even the restoration of pri- mitive Christianity, the proclamation of the ful- ness of the Everlasting gospel among all natio- ns both Gentile & Jew, the restoration of the Jews to their own land, the rebuilding of Jerrusalem, great changes, Judgments, wars & revolutions of the gentile nations, the Second Advent of the Mesiah in the clouds of heaven, & the great Millennium or rest of the Saints of one thousand years all of which events have been predicted by the Holy Prophets who have Spoken since the world began. None feel more interested in the signs of the Heavens & the earth which clearly indicate these great & important
events than the Latter Day Saints.
Browse other documents with this same date. These could include pages from Wilford Woodruff's autobiographies, daybooks, letters, histories, and personal papers. Click on the document titles to view the full document.
View selected events in the two months surrounding this date in Wilford Woodruff's life. Click on the dates to jump to that day in Wilford Woodruff's journal.
