A Vision of President John Taylor (1951)

The Vision of John Taylor  ...(Vision 2)

     As related by Edward Lunt     
     Cedar City, Utah, Jan 1951

A prophetic incident occurred at my father’s home at Cedar City, Utah, at the time a conference was being held there, at which Pres. John Taylor and George A. Smith were present. Elder George A. Smith was asked to conduct the morning session of the conference, as Pres. Taylor wished to rest, as he had held meetings with the different wards and stakes between Salt Lake City and Cedar City. Pres.

Taylor did not attend the morning session of the conference, but remained at our home to rest in order that he might attend the afternoon session. He, with all of the authorities, stayed at my father’s home during this conference.

Pres. Taylor wished to go to his room and lie down and rest, and asked my mother to tell him if he should oversleep by the time the morning session was over. My mother was busy preparing dinner for the visitors and was surprised when Pres. Taylor came walking into the kitchen. She asked him if he was not able to rest, as he hadn’t been gone long; whereupon he related a vision that he had in his room. He saw Salt Lake City become a great and beautiful city with cement streets and roads and the people had become wealthy. Great beautiful homes covered the city, and he said that the city was extended almost to the point of the mountain (south of the now, 1951, state prison. The people had become indifferent to the counsel and advice of the authorities of the Church, and were more interested in the accumulating of wealth than they were in living their religion and …at this time there began to be war and bloodshed.

He saw blood running down the gutters of Salt Lake City as though it were water. People were fighting among themselves until it became so serious that the entire Church records were all taken across the Colorado River.

President Taylor said to her: “If you are alive at that time, be sure that you are not far behind the records, because after the Church records leave and are secure, the very powers of hell will be turned loose, and there will be such destruction that but very little life will remain. Not only Salt Lake but other adjoining cities will be destroyed, and in the east, in Missouri, in Jackson County, civilization will become entirely extinct. All means of transportation, such as railroads and highways, will be destroyed; the only means of travel will be on foot, and all manufacturing of all kinds will be entirely destroyed. Be sure when you see these things come, see that you have buttons, needles and things to work with in order to make yourself clothing, thread and cloth as far as possible because all tools and every kind of machinery will be destroyed.

It will become such a destructive war that the sufferings and driving of the people from Nauvoo will only be as a drop in the bucket as compared with the suffering that will take place at this time, until one-half of the people will not follow the leaders and one-half of the others will die and turn because of the sufferings they will have to go through; but the Lord will bless those who stay with the authorities, and they shall not all be destroyed.

They will travel south and will finally form a circle something like a horseshoe before they return to Jackson County, Missouri. Those who will be privileged to help build Jackson County will be those who are willing and glad to obey the counsel and advice of the authorities placed over them, and they will not only be willing to listen to their counsel and advice, but will ask that they might receive it in order to be guided and protected out of this great time of want and distress. The Saints will be taxed so heavily that they will cry to the Lord day and night for deliverance. He said also that we would be few in numbers and would assist the Lamanites in building the New Jerusalem in Jackson County.

The vision was so terrible that he asked the Lord to close it, but he saw that those who would keep the commandments and adhere to the authorities of the Church would survive and He would protect them as He did the children of Israel.

After telling of this vision, he said to my mother, “Sister Lunt, see that you always listen and obey the counsel of the authorities and stay with them.”

The above experience my mother told me many, many times and she held this experience sacred.

          In witness that the above is true, I hereunto sign my name this 9th day

          of January, 1951, at Mesa, Arizona.O/S Edward Lunt

          (From the Lundwall Rare Manuscript File, Microfilm Roll 2)

Note: The above account of John Taylor’s vision was first obtained from Edward Lunt by N. B. Lundwall.