AMERICA IN BIBLICAL PROPHECY?
John McDonald, Elias Boudinot, Ethan Smith, and the Mormons

Elias Boudinot   |   Ethan Smith   |   Halcyon Church   |   Modern Pilgrims   |   New England Sects
British Israelites   |   The Wood Scrape   |   M. M. Noah's Israelite Gathering   |   Mormon Israelites



General George Washington -- Ascended to Heaven and Overlooking Militant America


INTRODUCTION

Is the American continent spoken of in the Bible? Were its location, history and inhabitants known to the ancient Israelite, Jewish and Christian patriarchs and prophets? Upon first consideration, the answer appears to be "no;" but does the question merit further investigation? Were the early Mormons correct, or were they mistaken, when they pointed to certain biblical passages as proof of their own latter day authority and teachings? Do scriptural passages really validate Mormon claims for American pre-history and as the chosen site for a New Jerusalem?

This web-page will (when completed) feature a number of different views, conclusions and resources on this interesting subject -- ranging from the opinions of Christopher Columbus to the writings of more recent "experts," and covering a spectrum of theologizing, from the New England Puritans to the Latter Day Saint prophets, seers and revelators.

Several important questions should be addressed here: What prominent writers first asserted that the Americas are mentioned in the Bible? Who agreed and disagreed -- and how did those assertions evolve over time? What has been said about the origin of the Native Americans -- and about their place in the greater scheme of Judeo-Christian beliefs? Was the biblical religion known and practiced in the New World in preColumbian times? Was the western hemisphere visited and evangelized by ancient Christian leaders? Did any noteworthy events occur in the Americas around the time when Jesus was crucified in Judea? Will Israelite tribes gather to the Americas to fulfil prophecy? And -- will the "New Jerusalem" be established upon the American continent as a prelude to the Christian Millennium?

Consequences of the Spanish Conquest

None of the above questions had any partucular relevance in the days before the Spanish explorers and colonizers reached the New World. The known world in 1491 appeared to conform roughly to the biblical model, with Asia, Africa and Europe supplying all the lands necessary to encompass the "ends of the earth," "the isles of the sea," and the "four corners of the world," (even though one of those four continental corners was missing). The wandering Vikings' discovery of "skraelings" west of Iceland was a matter of concern for the Bishop of Greenland perhaps, but not for the Pope at Rome nor the learned doctors of Europe. Then, a year later, everything changed...
 
(under construction)


Scripture and Speculation:
Part 1: A Brief Overview



The Continents of the New World as a Land of Biblical Prophecy

"Many say and affirme that in the holy Scripture it was foretold long before that this new worlde should be converted to Jesus Christ by the Spanish nation... there is great reason to beleeve that mention is made in the holy Scripture of a matter of such importance as the discoverie of the Indies, of the new world, and their conversion to the faith. Isaias saith in these wordes: 'Oh the wings of ships which come from the other part of Ethiopia.' ('Woe to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia.' -- Isaiah xviii, 1.) Many learned Authors hold that all this Chapter is understood of the Indies; and that same Prophet in an other place saith: 'Those which shall escape out of Israel shal goe farre off to Tharsis and to remote islands, where they shal convert many Nations unto the Lord.'" (José de Acosta, 1590)


"Thus doth Satan continually persist in this wicked desire to make himselfe God.... Hence comes the continual and strange care which this enemie of God hath alwaies had to make him to be worshipt of men, inventing so many kinds of Idolatries, whereby he hath so long held the gretest part of the world in subjection, so as there scarce remaines any one corner for God and his people of Israel. And since the power of the Gospel hath vanquished and disarmed him, and that by the force of the Crosse, hee hath broken and ruined the most important and puissant places of his kingdom with the like tyrannie, hee hath begunne to assaile the barbarous people and nations farthest off, striving to maintaino amongst them his false and lying divinitie... although idolatrie had beene rooted out of the best and most notable partes of the worlde, yet he hath retired himself into the most remote parts, and hath ruled in that other part of the worlde." (José de Acosta, 1590)


"Who is to deny that the departure and peregrination of the Mexicans resemble the departure from Egypt of the Children of Israel and their exodus? For the former, like the latter, were prompted to leave and go in search of a Promised Land. Both peoples took their gods as guides, consulted the Ark, and built a tabernacle. Both drew advice and their laws and ceremonies. And it took both a great number of years to reach the Promised Land. In these and many other things, the history of the Mexicans resembles the history of the Israelites according to Holy Scripture." (Gregorio García, 1606)


"The Devil, being impatient of the sound of the Gospel and Cross of Christ in every part of this old world, so that he could in no place be quiet for it, and foreseeing that he was like at length to lose all here, bethought himself to provide him of a seed over which he might reign securely... That accordingly he drew a Colony out of some of those barbarous Nations dwelling upon the Northern Ocean, and promising them by some oracle to shew them a Country far better than their own, pleasant, large, where never man yet inhabited, he conducted them over those desart Lands and Islands... into America." (Joseph Mede, 1635)


"For your full assurance, know this [America] is the place where the Lord will create a new Heaven, and a new Earth, in new Churches, and a new Commonwealth together." (Edward Johnson, 1653)


"I have endeavoured to prove that America's Name is to be seen fairly Recorded in the Scriptures; particularly, in the Book of Psalms, in Daniel, and the Revelation. That Euphrates may be distinguished from the Sea, and from other Rivers, it ought to be limited to some proper Place; for which place, I propound the New World: as being so far from deserving the Nick-names of Gog and Magog; that it stands fair for being made the Seat of the Divine Metropolis." (Samuel Sewall, 1697)


So, many Things alleged by Cardinal Bellarmin and others, about the Descent into Hell; are wonderfully suited to the going of Christ Jesus into America.... Now the New World, the Valley of Baca was the doleful Receptacle of Ungodly and Christless Men, perfectly exposed to the Craft and Cruelty of Evil Angels. So near an Approach to; so compleat a Resemblance of Hell, was not elsewhere to be found in rerum natura. JESUS CHRIST came hither to Visit this Prison, to Preach to the miserable Prisoners; and, in spight of their sirly Jaylor [Satan]" (Samuel Sewall, 1697)


"Some judicious and learned Divines have conjectured that America is prophesied of in the thirty seventh of Ezekiel, under the denomination of a Valley. Certainly, no part of the habitable World, can shew more Bones; or bones more dry, than these vast Regions do.... The Prophet is said to be carried out in the spirit: and for ought I know, he might be carried beyond the limits of the then known World." (Samuel Sewall, 1697)


"The learned Joseph Mede was undoubtedly the principal authority on whose opinions Increase Mather rested with such confidence. He thought that tha American hemisphere would escape the general conflagration at the last day, and that the people would not share in the blessings of Millennium. He regarded the inhabitants here as colonies or descendants from the Scythians (and therein a notable fulfilment of the prophecy about the enlargement of Japhet) and to be 'the Gog and Magog whom the devil will seduce to invade the New Jerusalem, with an envious hope to gain the angelical circumstances of the people there.'" (Cotton Mather, 1702)


"The Latter-Day Glory Is Probably to Begin in America. It is not unlikely that this [revival] work of God's Spirit, that is so extraordinary and wonderful, is the dawning, or at least a prelude, of that glorious work of God, so often foretold in Scripture, which in the progress and issue of it, shall renew the world of mankind." (Jonathan Edwards, 1746)


"[New England] far removed from the noise and tumult of contending kingdoms and empires; far from the wars of Europe and Asia, and the barbarous African coast, here... shall our JESUS go forth conquering and to conquer; and the heathen be given him for an inheritance; and these uttermost parts of the earth, a possession. Zion shall here lengthen her cords, and strengthen her stakes; and the mountain of the house of the Lord be gloriously exalted on high. Here shall the religion of Jesus;... the pure and undefiled religion of our blessed Redeemer; here shall it reign in triumph, over all opposition.... And here shall the various ancient promises... and the light of divine revelation diffuse its beneficent rays, till the gospel of Jesus have accomplished its day, from east to west, around the world. A day, whose evening shall not terminate in night; but introduce that joyful period, when the outcasts of Israel, and the dispersed of Judah, shall be restored; and with them the fulness of the gentile world shall flow to the standard of redeeming love: And the nations of the earth, become the kingdom of our Lord and Saviour. (George Duffield, 1783)


"The view of the prophecy as here exhibited [Isa. 18], is calculated to press on the American mind the important part which Heaven has destined our nation to act in this wonderful drama. Pious students in Theology it is hoped may also be stirred up to prepare themselves or their successors to undertake the divine embassy to which God will call them in his providence, as he now calls them in his prophecy. (John McDonald, 1814)


"On a slight inspection of a common map of America, without much aid from fancy, the resemblance will appear. But when God drew the landscape, with all its features, and in all the glowing tints of light and shade, and presented it to the vivid imagination of the sacred Poet [Isaiah], must he not have re-echoed; Land of the overshadowing wings! Can we on listening to the description and comparing it with America, withhold exclaiming: It is the picture of our own country, painted by our own God!" (John McDonald, 1814)


"And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles, who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the many waters; and I beheld the Spirit of God, that it came down and awrought upon the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land." (1 Nephi, Book of Mormon, 1830)


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TRANSCRIBER'S  NOTES


The American Continents Symbolized as Outstretched Wings

(under construction) 



Charles B. Thompson's Evidences of the Book of Mormon


=========== not in EVIDENCES ==========

1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of 
the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, 
and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to 
the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; 
and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: 
for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the 
Lord from Jerusalem. (Isa. 2:1-2).


This Isaiah prophecy was the basis for the founding of the Mormons' 
Evening and Morning Star newspaper at "Mt. Zion" (Independence) 
in Missouri, in 1832 -- so that "the law" (latter day commandments) 
would "go forth" thereafter, "out of Zion."

This prophecy is also oft cited as referring to the LDS Church being 
established in Utah, or "in the tops of the mountains."



========== EVIDENCES p. 21 & 57-61 ===========

http://www.greaterthings.com/Ridenhour/Protestant_Evangelism/TwoSticks/index.html

The question arises, "…If Jesus visited America, then were the ancient Biblical 
prophets aware of the existence of the New World?"

And the answer is yes.

Isaiah, for one, speaks of the land shadowing with wings.

"…Woe to the land shadowing with wings which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia [Africa]; 
that sendeth ambassadors by the sea…" (Isa.18:1,2).

That’s America.

Only America is beyond Africa. And she has certainly sent more missionaries "by the sea" 
than any other nation. Her emblem is the eagle, and the two Americas are shaped like 
a bird with wings.


=========== not in EVIDENCES ==========


A Hebrew Nation in America

"…For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of 
mount Zion; the zeal of the Lord of hosts shall do this." --Isaiah 37:32

The prophecy is plain -- a remnant was to escape from Jerusalem. 
That occurred around 588 BC, 
the time of the Babylonian captivity.

========== EVIDENCES p. 46 & 29 ===========

Jeremiah, living in Jerusalem at the time, delivered a precious prophecy:

"…Flee, get you far off, dwell deep, O ye inhabitants of Hazar, saith the Lord; 
for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon hath taken counsel against you, and hath 
conceived a purpose against you. Arise, get you up unto the wealthy nation, 
that dwelleth without gate, saith the Lord, which have neither gates nor bars, 
which dwell alone." -- Jer.49: 30, 31

Notice the details…

They were to go "far off." It is to be a "wealthy nation which have neither gates nor bars, 
which dwell alone." There’s no place in the old world like that. All cities of the 
Old World had walls; they had gates and bars, and they certainly did not dwell alone. 
The prophecy no doubt refers to the New World, specifically the Americas. The Americas 
were wealthy and they dwelt alone.

========== not in EVIDENCES ===========

Another prophet, Zephaniah, also saw the New World.

"…From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my supplicants [Israelites who pray to the God of 
Israel], even the daughter of my dispersed [Israelites who were dispersed beyond the 
rivers of Ethiopia], shall bring mine offering." -- Zeph.3:10

Ethiopia in Zephaniah’s time included the entire known continent of Africa. America is 
the only nation that lies "beyond the rivers of Ethiopia," beyond Africa.

In a nutshell, the Bible contains the history of God’s dealing with a colony of 
Hebrews who came out of Egypt. This colony migrates to the New World and becomes 
a key "prophetic ensign" to the nations during the end of this present church age.

========== EVIDENCES p. 44 ===========

Joseph’s Descendants to Come to the Everlasting Hills

There is a passage in Genesis chapter 49 that has strong ties to the Book of Mormon. 
Jacob, the old patriarch, is dying. We’re reading his last words as he pronounces 
prophetic blessings upon his sons and upon his two grandsons, words concerning the 
descendants of Joseph.

"…Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well, whose branches 
run over the wall…The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings 
of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills; they shall be 
on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate 
from his brethren." -- Gen.49:22,26

An interesting passage, indeed. Joseph and his descendants have been separated 
"from his brethren."

=========== not in EVIDENCES ==========

Here are a couple points to consider: 1) Joseph is a fruitful bough by a well. 
What’s a "bough" and what’s a "well?" Let scripture answer scripture. 
The Psalmist said,

"…O Shepherd of Israel, thou what leadest Joseph like a flock…Thou hast brought 
a vine out of Egypt; thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it…She sent out 
her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river…" -- Psalm 80: 1,8,11

The "bough" is Joseph’s lineage and the "well" is the sea. The remnant escaping 
Jerusalem is the flock of Joseph. And where did the Shepherd of Israel lead the 
flock of Joseph "…whose branches [lineage] run over the wall [sea]?" Over the 
seas unto the New World. To be separate from his brethren.

========== EVIDENCES p. 65-66 ===========

The Bible Prophesies of the Book of Mormon

"…And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, 
which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee; and 
he saith, I cannot, for it is sealed. And learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee; 
and he saith, I am not learned." -- Isa.29:11, 12

Isaiah prophesied of the sealed book that was to become "the vision of all." 
In late February, 1828, Joseph Smith sent Martin Harris to New York with a copy of 
the Book of Mormon characters. He was to meet with Professor Charles Anthon, 
"a gentleman celebrated for his literary attainments." The professor asked Mr. Harris 
if he would bring the plates so he could translate them.

========== EVIDENCES p. 23 ===========

Ezekiel’s Prophecy of the Two Sticks

The prophet Ezekiel looked into the future and foresaw two nations and two records 
would some day be joined into one. The so-called "parable of the two sticks" deals 
with Israel’s division into two kingdoms.

"…The word of the Lord came again unto me saying, Moreover, thou son of man, 
take thee one stick, and write upon it. For Judah and for the children of Israel 
his companions; then take another stick, and write upon it. For Joseph, 
the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions; and join them 
one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand." 
--Ezekiel 37:15-17

Ezekiel is prophesying the restoration of Israel in these last days.

The Hebrew prophets deplore Israel’s separation, which occurred because of wickedness 
(compare Zech.11:24). The day Ephraim (with nine other tribes) broke away from Judah 
became a turning point in Israel’s history (Isa.7:17). Since that day, Israel has 
remained divided into two "houses," or kingdoms (Isa.8:14). Isaiah calls the division 
of his people an "open wound" that the Lord will heal as his coming to the earth draws 
nigh (Isa.30:26,27). –The Last Days, p.126

The two sticks coming together in the endtime is a wonderful Biblical pronouncement. 
The Lord says, "…When…two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations 
shall run together also" (2 Nephi 29:8). Of course, the sticks are really books and 
nations "…running together…" The Smith Bible Dictionary states:

"…A book in ancient times consisted of a single long strip of paper or parchment, 
which was usually kept rolled upon a stick, and was unrolled when a person wished 
to read it."

Back to the testimony of the two nations "running together."

In his prophesy, Ezekiel saw that each of the two kingdoms was to have a record, 
or stick. The record of Judah is easily identified as the Bible "…for Judah [the Jews], 
and for the children of Israel his companions…" The record of Joseph [records of 
the Lost Tribes of Israel] is connected with the prophesied Book of Mormon 
"…the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows…"

The prophet Lehi, with whom the Book of Mormon begins, was among those originally 
from the northern kingdom who had come, or whose forefathers had come, to live in 
the kingdom of Judah, for he was a resident of Jerusalem. His family came to the 
American continents and the record they kept is a record of the descendants of 
Joseph in this hemisphere. Through the instrumentality of the prophet Joseph Smith, 
the record of Joseph—the Book of Mormon—has joined the Bible to serve as a dual 
witness of the divinity of Christ. –Prophecies of Joseph Smith, p.170

These two books [the Book of Mormon and the Bible] become one in the endtime. 
A dual witness.

Hosea prophesied a marvelous thing:

"…I have written to him [Ephraim] the great things of my law, but they were counted as 
a strange thing." --Hosea 8:12

God wrote some wonderful and great things to Ephraim in the Bible, but he wrote even 
more wonderful (strange) things to him in the Stick of Joseph.

For example…

Ezekiel describes the stick of Joseph as being of a dual nature: 1) the record is to 
be "the stick of Ephraim," and 2) it must also be "…for all the house of Israel his 
companions." Then Ezekiel adds that the stick of Joseph is to be "…in the hands of 
Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows." Ephraim, of course, was the leading 
tribe among the tribes which were carried away captive by Assyria and which are now 
known as the Ten Lost Tribes. –Prophecies of Joseph Smith, p.171

Ephraim’s descendants will lead the way in the last days.

=====================




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