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Book Review: Jesus Christ, Message to All Nations

By Warren Jeffs

Reviewed by Eric Johnson

Hear a 5-part series on this topic originally broadcast in February 2014 by clicking on the following links:  Part 1  Part 2  Part 3  Part 4  Part 5 

Also see the 2-part 1-hour TV shows “What Love is This ?”with Doris Hanson interviewing Eric Johnson on this FLDS scripture (Part 1 and Part 2) 

Say the name “Warren Jeffs” out loud in a public place in Utah and you will get raised eyebrows. Latter-day Saints are very sensitive about having their religion tied to polygamous groups, which many uninformed bystanders have done over the years. Today, Jeffs—who is serving a life sentence behind federal prison bars in Texas—remains the official “prophet” of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS), which is based in two bordering towns, Hildale, UT and Colorado City, AZ. Although he was characterized in his free days as being shy in public and even a recluse, Jeffs was known for ruling the world’s largest polygamous group with an iron fist.

For more than a year, Jeffs eluded federal authorities caught him at a traffic stop in Nevada in 2006. In September 2007 he was convicted in Utah on two counts of rape as an accomplice and was sentenced to 10 years to life in the Utah state prison. However, the Utah Supreme Court said the jury had been provided incorrect instructions and thus overturned the conviction in July 2010. Jeffs was then extradited to Texas because he had committed sexual crimes there. It took a jury less than half an hour on August 11, 2011 to sentence the 55-year-old Jeffs to life in prison for the sexual assault of two teen-age girls.

While he was in prison from 2009 to 2012, Jeffs busily wrote down “revelations” that he claims were given to him by Jesus Christ himself; a total of 854 pages were compiled during a thousand-day period and, in late 2012, his revelations were published as a hard-cover bound book that is titled Jesus Christ, Message to All Nations (no publisher or date provided). A second edition was printed in 2013 that added an “Appendix C” and more than a hundred pages, bringing the total to 968 pages–in other words, an extremely large book!

While Jeffs is a convicted felon,  some might assume that he would have lost his control. That assumption is wrong. At the end of 2012, Jeffs was telling his followers that the year 2013 would never come to pass.  In fact, the people of Colorado City, AZ took this teaching so seriously that the city’s only grocery store temporarily closed in late December to prepare for the end of the world. See here. Hence, Jeffs continues to control thousands of people even from behind bars.

Jesus Christ: Message to All Nations

Written in a similar style as the LDS Church’s standard work called Doctrine and Covenants, Message to All Nations contains up-to-date “revelations” from Jesus Christ Himself. Notice the title page: “Copyright 2013 by President Warren S. Jeffs, Mouthpiece of God. Jesus Christ, Author.”

The title of the book is intriguing, leaving a potential reader wanting to know more. Could this tome really contain revelations as given by a modern prophet? The neutral observer who thinks it does will probably be disappointed, no matter how exciting this prospect might seem. For example, the monotonous and even repetitive manner found throughout the book is a certain turn-off. Read one “revelation” and you’ve pretty much read all of them. A common revelation will look like this:

1)      Number of the “Section Revelation”

2)      A bold-faced intro of “Jesus Christ, who is Son Ahman”/description of addressee

3)      The place where the “revelation” took place

4)      “Thus saith the Lord”

5)      Repent for (fill in the blank) sins

6)      Release Warren Jeffs from prison

7)      Celestial Marriage is a true doctrine of God

8)      Repent (again)

9)      If you don’t, here are the consequences

10)   Do this all quickly, Amen.

Of course, I have oversimplified the 261 “revelations” found in the book, but I think the idea is communicated. Copies of this massive tome were mailed to schools, libraries, churches, and other places where multiple people could have access to it. One pastor in Washington state had both editions mailed to him. Anyone interested can pay $25 for it from the FLDS church, although anyone with a few dollars can buy a used copy on Amazon.com.

Message to All Nations is generally ordered chronologically in the order the “revelations” were written, though not always. I will refer to each individual “revelation” as “Section Revelation” followed by its particular number, which is how they are listed in the book. Sometimes previous “revelations” are repeated, apparently for emphasis.

Because I was curious, I decided to read the entire book from cover to cover. It was a major undertaking, as the book can be very dull and repetitive. Still, over the course of a month, I faithfully highlighted what I felt were important points.

Let’s be clear about my personal bias: I believe that Warren Jeffs is a diabolical child molester and a wimpy narcissist who possesses a large ego. If I could summarize him in one word, he is a manipulator, doing whatever he can to get his own way. Every bone of this man’s body is controlled by the selfish gene: it’s all about me, myself, and I.

Now that I’ve explained my presuppositions, I want to say that this review will report Message to All Nations as if it was written by Christ Himself. I’ll try to keep my editorializing to a minimum. My goal is to neither mock Jeffs nor his adherents.  Although there will be times that I use humor to make a point, I will do my best to be respectful, even if I have little to no respect for this man and his henchmen. And, reader, please understand this: As jaw-dropping as some of this information is, I testify that I have made nothing up.

While I don’t want to offend my LDS audience, I must add one more point. While Warren Jeffs has been extreme in these last few years, how is he much different from Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of Jeffs’ religion? Keep reading and see if what I am saying has any substance.

“Now uphold my will, and free my servant Warren Jeffs.” Section Revelation 6:3 (October 25, 2010)

If the reader takes Message to All Nations seriously, it is apparent that the author (again, Jesus is supposed to be writing) wishes to communicate his will to people through prophets, as he did in biblical times. Section Revelation 45:33 says,

“And though you have the prophecies of ancient Prophets in holy writ, I am now sending forth mine own word through my servant on earth, and through my Church and Kingdom on earth, upheld by those who have witness of my Spirit that my word is verily true.”

Section Revelation 102:11-12 explains,

“I shall send my Spirit upon all who come unto my authorized agent of key position; unto my holy representative of the order of pure Holy Priesthood power, even my servant Warren Jeffs, on earth. Let all now know he is of my whole power of governing, and able to reveal my will to every governing power on the earth; for I lead him unto my way being revealed to all who come unto me in faith and good works.”

Thus, the authority that Jeffs claims to have with God and Jesus comes through a direct connection with Joseph Smith. Section Revelation 97:18-19 gives the pedigree of the “restored” gospel that started in 1830:

“My servant Joseph Smith; then Brigham Young continued my work; John Taylor thereafter; [note: fourth LDS president Wilford Woodruff is now omitted because he wrote Official Declaration-1, which banned polygamy, in 1890] then John W. Woolley, and Lorin C. Woolley after him; John Y. Barlow; Leroy S. Johnson after him; and my servant Rulon T. Jeffs; And my servant on earth continues my work, though in bondage, though accused by those who are of wicked intent in their own lives, who do not see truth of the beauty of the Everlasting Gospel of Jesus Christ; who fightest against my Church and Kingdom, even those of apostate influence, who have turned from my Gospel, Church, and Kingdom.”

Hundreds of references are made throughout Message to All Nations regarding the “unlawful” imprisonment of the current FLDS president. On October 7, 2010, Section Revelation 4:18-20 explains,

“And cause that my servant should be set free. Cause that his brethren who are in bondage be set free. Let this be as a final warning to the people on this land.”

The next revelation (“Section Revelation 5: A Petition to the President of the United States of America”) is written on the same day and says:

“To the honorable President of the United States of American now standing as head of this nation: . . .  Cause that my servant who presides over my Church now be delivered by thy hand. Let my servant go, that he may perform his mission to prepare my people for my coming. Cause that the prosecutors now cease their attack upon my servant Warren Jeffs. Cause that this nation now restore to my people the consecrated land taken from them. Cause that there be remuneration given them for the loss of the homes that are occupied by the enemies of my people who are in the Colorado City, Arizona and Hildale, Utah area. Cause that the attack against my people in Texas be stopped.  I, the Lord, shall cause my judgments to be withheld as you thus perform this work.  Otherwise, let this nation know I am with my people, and shall sweep the wicked from off the face of the Land of America.  Thus shall I perform my work by my almighty power.” (The “revelation” is apparently so important that it was reprinted 53 pages later.)

In February 2011 more than 600 packets with this “revelation” originally penned in the Draper, Utah prison were sent to the President as well as every member of Congress and a variety of government officials such as then-Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

When President Barack Obama was reelected, it came without the approval of God.  A few days after the election in 2012, Section Revelation 246:12 says,

“Thus saith the Lord Jesus Christ unto all people of the nation of United States: Though you celebrate President of nation re-elected, know he is in transgressing order, not hearing my peace of my Spirit whisper correct principle; yet you as a nation uphold one in power who hath upheld murder of unborn youth order; thus I decry against all who knowing order uphold shedding of innocent blood of the most helpless dependent of all children, the unborn.”

On November 2, 2010, Jeffs wrote Revelation 2:26-28 that said,

“Know that my servant Warren Jeffs has been humbled. Though he feared in the day of trial, I, the Lord, have lifted him up to be my spokesman. Thus has he sent my word to the government officials of this nation of the United States of America.”

How exactly was Jeffs humbled? No explanation is given, leaving the reader to wonder what his sin might have been. Section Revelation 7:39 says it doesn’t matter because “I, the Lord, have forgiven him for his wrongs; and I am with him in establishing my cause of Zion, to the salvation of the nations who remain.”

Whether or not he was truly “humbled,” it was on October 13, 2011—just a few months after he had already been convicted and sentenced for his crimes—that Jeffs wrote down a “revelation” claiming that he did not need to listen to the governmental authorities because the FLDS prophet had a higher authority. Section Revelation 132:1-6 states:

“I, even Jesus Christ, speak to the present judge over court proceedings against my servant Warren Jeffs; I cause him to no longer be of an answering of your unjust and corrupt and unauthorized rulings; as I, the Lord, even Jesus Christ, am above all, and my laws is religious and of me, a heavenly power over all creation. Your judging is not based on truth. I cause him to not answer to the court. Let thy rulings against him cease. I shall soon lay a heavy hand on all who fight against my Priesthood and Church, saith the Lord. Now know I am God, even above all, and court of persecution shall be of a ceasing in my way of eternal power taking a hand if you will continue unjust way. Amen.” (Note: Section Revelation 132 and 136 are identical.)

A month later (November 12, 2011), Section Revelation 133:1-5 was given, stating:

“I, Jesus Christ over all, even God over all, speak to appeals court: Let my servant and his brethren in prison go free. Reverse unjust court’s rulings. Do not uphold unjust way. My religion of my own revealing has constitutional protection of freedom of religion.”

The idea that Jeffs remains God’s representative on earth is a constant throughout the book until the very end.  Consider:

  • Section Revelation 162:34 (February 9, 2012): “Let President of nation sign release way of my Holy Priesthood, held by illegal persecuting way against holy revealed religion, not of freedom to live my religion, not to be of government power of men to abuse living my holy revealed order of eternal order of saving way of holy way dwelling on earth.”
  • Section Revelation 165:4 (May 1, 2012): “Now heed my will through my holy Priesthood Keyholder on earth, my own holy authority I have on earth in my servant Warren Jeffs, of holy order of the full way holy power of Priesthood power of sealing keys, a continuation of my own authority given to Joseph Smith, Jun., in 1829 by Peter, James, John: quorum of my Keyholder power sent to restore full way power of heavenly power to earth; so ordinances would be valid into eternity under God.”
  • Section Revelation 1:70 (August 2, 2012) says that Jeffs was placed “in prison on false order, accusing of the apostate order lying order against God. Amen.”
  • In a revelation given in the preface (September 19, 2012), Jesus explains that he “sends my book of full warning” “to use as proof God is head of His Church and guides His servant in the way of innocence before His God, Warren Jeffs, as he also lives pure way before all peoples. He [Jeffs] is innocent. Let him go free soon. . .”

According to these revelations, the only true church is the one governed by Jeffs. As Section Revelation 57:33 (April 22, 2011) states, “And my people on earth, my Priesthood, my Church and Kingdom, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known among men as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has been in operation, preparing mine elect to receive me in honor, who abide Celestial laws guided by my revealing through Priesthood authority.”

Judgment on individuals is apparently proportioned on how certain people treat Jeffs. Section Revelation 123:3 (November 9, 2011) says, “Let all beware how they treat my servant Warren Jeffs and my Priesthood and Church, for I shall bring full power to recompense to every person what they have chosen. Amen.”

The penalty for any nation opposing Jeffs and his religion could be severe, according to Section Revelation 58:7-9:

“Thus saith the Lord: The United States of American shall be left without a responsible head—I, the Lord, allowing the government powers to be disrupted in a manner that they will not be able to fulfill any governmental duties. And it shall be such a distress that the people of this nation will arise and try to join in groups for self-protection, mob rule reign in many places, trade stop. There shall be sickness, even that sickness that shall pollute the air and the soil and destroy many souls, because you heed me not and would continue in your murderous and immoral ways to the destruction of your soul…”

As verse 51 puts it,

“And if thou heed me not, you shall not be a nation much longer—only among mine elect who survive the whirlwind judgments I send, upholding righteous principles inspired of their God who made them, even your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, these words being His, sent to the nations of the earth.”

Section Revelation 63:25 states,

“And if you heed me not, you leaders of this nation of the United States of America, you shall feel the chastening hand of a just God; and all my promises and prophecies of judgments upon the gentile nations shall be fulfilled in full measure.”

There are many other passages where the “nations of the earth” are told, “Come to the aid of my servant Warren Jeffs and set him free,” (7:11) including  Section Revelation 6:3; 6:54-56, 7:8, 11:9, 127:53; 128:4; 165:69-70; 122; 174:12-13.

“My Celestial Law of Eternal Union in the holy pure Marriage Law is of me, your Lord.” Section Revelation 98:10, July 22, 2011.

(Picture of Jeffs and 50 of his 78 wives)

According to Message to All Nations, probably the biggest crime committed by the any nation or religious organization is the restriction of plural marriage. This is because at least three wives are necessary for exaltation, according to the FLDS church. Of course, the Salt Lake City-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints repealed its polygamous ways in 1890, which is described in Official Declaration-1 found in the back of the Pearl of Great Price. This decision caused a shock wave across the Mormon world at the time; in fact, many LDS splinter groups broke off from the Mormon Church when leaders abandoned plural marriage in 1890. Consider the voices of several prominent LDS leaders before 1890:

“You might as well deny ‘Mormonism,’ and turn away from it, as to oppose the plurality of wives. Let the Presidency of this Church, and the Twelve Apostles, and all the authorities unite and say with one voice that they will oppose that doctrine, and the whole of them would be damned” (Heber C. Kimball, October 12, 1856, Journal of Discourses 5:203).

“I heard the revelation on polygamy, and I believed it with all my heart, and I know it is from God—I know that he revealed it from heaven; I know that it is true, and understand the bearings of it and why it is. ‘Do you think that we shall ever be admitted as a State into the Union without denying the principle of polygamy?’ If we are not admitted until then, we shall never be admitted” (Brigham Young, August 19, 1866, Journal of Discourses 11:269).

“If we were to do away with polygamy, it would only be one feather in the bird, one ordinance in the Church and kingdom. Do away with that, then we must do away with prophets and Apostles, with revelation and the gifts and graces of the Gospel, and finally give up our religion altogether and turn sectarians and do as the world does, then all would be right. We just can’t do that, for God has commanded us to build up His kingdom and to bear our testi­mony to the nations of the earth, and we are going to do it, come life or come death. He has told us to do thus, and we shall obey Him in days to come as we have in days past” (Wilford Woodruff, December 12, 1869, Journal of Discourses 13:166).

“I understand the law of celes­tial marriage to mean that every man in this Church, who has the ability to obey and practice it in righteousness and will not, shall be damned, I say I understand it to mean this and nothing less, and I testify in the name of Jesus that it does mean that” (Joseph F. Smith, July 7, 1878, Journal of Discourses 20:30-31).

According to the Message to All Nations, plural marriage is an eternal principle and ought to be practiced by God’s people. Section Revelation 125:66 states, “My law of Celestial Union of eternal and of pure holy motive of marriage plural, in my Church only, is of me.” In fact, even Jesus Himself was polygamous, according to his own words in Section Revelation 159:27-31 (January 22, 2012):

“Let my holy will now be of full knowing. I had many wives during my holy way of ministry on earth, which was a reason leaders of Jews wanted me to be of a way of not dwelling among men on earth. They learned I was of full living Celestial Plural Marriage Union. I was husband on earth to wives pure, holy, noble, of only pure holy way. Let this be to thy knowing that my Eternal Union Order is holy, of me, thy Lord.”

Denying polygamy—whether it is by government or the LDS Church—is apparently what angers Christ. Since the LDS Church no longer teaches in the legitimacy of plural marriage, a number of direct slams against the majority religion in Utah are made, starting with Section Revelation 3:14-16 (October 2, 2009), the first “revelation” recorded in Message to All Nations:

“For that branch called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known by the world, has become corrupt, and broke away from my Priesthood authority, and they rejected by Celestial Law of Marriage, and I, the Lord, have rejected them. And they shall be brought low, and feel the chastening hand of God for all their abominations against the laws of God. And I say unto this people of this nation, repent ye, repent ye, for my judgments are already upon you, and will soon be poured out without measure, beginning at the house of God; those who have professed to know my name, and have blasphemed against me, and changed the law and ordinances of my Gospel, and submitted to the ways and persuasions of men.”

On November 9, 2011, Section Revelation 120 rebukes the Salt Lake City-based church for its prosecuting role against Mormon fundamentalism. The first three verses of this passage read:

“I, your Lord, send my word to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, by name in legal way, to give you my own word of full warning, of full truth of true Priesthood authority in my Proclamation of Priesthood history and doctrine of Celestial Law still among men on earth. You have been of a persecuting power for over one hundred years against my Priesthood. Now know that you are the fulfilling of Isaiah’s words, of having made a covenant with death and an agreement with hell, when you upheld, and still uphold, action of Wilford Woodruff in signing away your rights to my Priesthood and my Celestial Law. “

Verse 4 then decries how the Mormon Church rescinded the priesthood bans for its black membership in 1978:

“I now tell thee, you were rejected in fully by God as any virtue being in thy organization when you allowed the so-called giving of Priesthood to those not yet to receive until I, the Lord, appointed, even to that race of people forbidden to hold Priesthood.”

The penalty for overturning these two doctrines, according to Jesus in verses 6 and 12, are described:

“Let my warning be to you, as Isaiah prophesied, that the covenant with death and agreement of evil, with the doing away of my Celestial Plural Marriage Law and you fighting against my Priesthood, all shall come to an end, when I cause my judgments to cleanse Zion, even all North and South America, to prepare for my glory in New Jerusalem. . . . I shall cleanse my land of Zion. My warnings have now gone forth.”

According to Section Revelation 87:151-152,

“The ordinances they perform, in what is called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, are of no efficacy or of enduring value, not having my eternal authority called Priesthood; no, not one in that now apostate gentile church. Verily I say to all peoples, I reveal this so you do not join with that lost branch that hath withered; first fighting against me after giving up Celestial Plural Union Marriage, my holy law of eternal lives for the faithful; a pure law only for the faithful of my Church on earth, and into eternity of increase, for they whole are of pure abiding my Celestial laws.”

Other sections directed at the government or LDS Church that speak on this topic include:

Section Revelation 4:2-3: “Thus saith the Lord unto this nation of the United States of America: You heed me not. I have warned you to cease these evil practices in your nation, to change your laws that are unrighteous, that allow the murder of unborn children, and Sodom, and adultery, and other unrighteous practices, and the persecution of an innocent people for their religion, even my Church and Kingdom upon the earth, that Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints upholding my full Celestial Law of eternal and Celestial Marriage—the plurality of wives—and the Holy United Order, required to establish my Zion on the earth.”

Section Revelation 6:62-64: “Now overthrow those laws that are against my Celestial Law of Plural Marriage. This law is of me. Uphold the religious freedom for my people.”

Section Revelation 36:64, “My people who receive Celestial Marriage, the plurality of wives in a pure state, live a higher law than man’s ways; and I [Jesus] am the governor of this holy law.”

Section Revelation 40:78-79:  “And that branch called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known on my earth, is apostate and broke off from my Priesthood authority because they turned my Celestial Law of Plural Marriage. And my true Church upon the earth upholds all my laws revealed, yea, even from heaven through the Prophet Joseph Smith, preserved in this day in my Church and Kingdom.”

Section Revelation 53:2-3: “Cause my servant Warren Jeffs to go free from prison to do my will, and his brethren who linger in bonds and imprisonment; for I, the Lord, justified them in abiding Celestial laws, and you have caused innocence to dwell in prison. And your laws and your ways are corrupt and shall fall; and I shall deliver mine elect who abide Celestial laws of purity and holiness before me.” Verse 5 promises a “shaking” (earthquake?) and verses 6 and 7 add that “your governing powers will lose strength. Thy peoples shall not be united; unrest shall ensue.”

Section Revelation 59:101: “My Celestial Laws of Plural Marriage and the United Order are of my revealing. They are of God and are in holy writ, restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith by thy God of Creation to promote peace and purity of life, where none can enter therein save those whose names I reveal through my Priesthood authority on earth, and it is not for mankind in general. Therefore, thus saith the Lord: Let my people go!”

Section Revelation 63:5: “I have sent to you mine own word to let my people go, and release my servant from bondage, and allow them freedom of worship n Celestial laws of my revealing.”

Section Revelation 66:40-44: “Let that nation of the United States of America again receive my warning to let my people go! And free my servant and my servants in bondage, for your laws are unjust! They are living my Celestial laws of plural marriage, wherein I, the Lord, have revealed this law, and it is of me, and only for my Church and Kingdom on earth, and none others. They are not aggressive on my people. They are of the most pure motive. And I, the Lord, reveal this; for my coming is nigh at hand, and I shall hold all government officials accountable for their aggression against my Church and Kingdom upon the earth.”

Section Revelation 86:145-146: “Your laws against my Celestial Law of Eternal Union Marriage of Celestial Plural Union are unjust from the beginning. Congress and President in each time of passing these unjust rulings of man’s law were purposeful attacks against my holy law and religion.”

Section Revelation 249:49-52: “Let also Mormon Church, as world calls such, repent, as I shall cause Mount Olympus to fall on Salt Lake City, to make promised prophecy fulfilled, that Salt Lake would be a lake again, Mount Olympus falling across valley in world land pressure explosion. That city is my enemy now. Amen. Now repent, the now fully apostate church of my name, which broke away from my Priesthood in 1890, Wilford Woodruff warned by me in 1890 to not sign agreement with hell, covenant of death as Isaiah foresaw. Now know only Fundamentalist Church is my own true saving power in Priesthood on world. Amen.”

It wasn’t plural marriage that got Jeffs into trouble with the American law; rather, it was taking preadolescent and teenage brides as well as orchestrating the plural marriages of girls and women to other men in the FLDS community. When it comes to this issue, Joseph Smith—the founder of both the LDS and FLDS churches—was the perfect role model. LDS researcher Todd Compton explains,

“In the group of Smith’s well-documented wives, eleven (33 percent) were 14 to 20 years old when they married him. . . . The teenage representation is the largest, though the twenty-year and thirty-year groups are comparable, which contradicts the Mormon folk wisdom that sees the beginnings of polygamy as an attempt to care for older, unattached women. These data suggest that sexual attraction was an important part of the motivation for Smith’s polygamy” (In Sacred Loneliness: The Plural Wives of Joseph Smith, 11).

Probably one of the best documented plural wives of Smith was Helen Mar Whitney, who was 14 when she married the 38-year-old Smith in 1843. According to Compton:

“As Helen told the story, polygamy entered her life when her father approached her one day in the early summer of 1843. ‘Without any preliminaries [my father] asked me if I would believe him if he told me that it was right for married men to take other wives.’ Helen was instinctual Victorian: ‘The first impulse was anger … My sensibilities were painfully touched. I felt such a sense of personal injury and displeasure; for to mention such a thing to me I though altogether unworthy of my father, and as quick as he spoke, I replied to him, short and emphatically, No I wouldn’t! (Ibid, 497-498).

In a manipulative way, Heber, Helen’s father, “commenced talking seriously and reasoned and explained the principle, and why it was again to be established upon the earth, etc.” To get his daughter to understand the “principle” was vital because “Heber had apparently already offered her to the prophet.” As Helen wrote in 1881,

“Having a great desire to be connected with the Prophet, Joseph, he offered me to him; this I afterwards learned from the Prophet’s own mouth. My father had but one Ewe Lamb, but willingly laid her upon the altar: how cruel this seemed to the mother whose heartstrings were already stretched until they were ready to snap asunder. . .” (Ibid, 498).

According to Helen:

“[He] left me to reflect upon it for the next twenty-four hours … I was skeptical—one minute believed, then doubted. I thought of the love and tenderness that he felt for his only daughter, and I knew that he would not cast her off, and this was the only convincing proof that I had of its being right. I knew that he loved me too well to teach me anything that was not strictly pure, virtuous and exalting in its tendencies; and no one else could have influenced me at that time or brought me to accept of a doctrine so utterly repugnant and so contrary to all of our former ideas and traditions” (Ibid, 498-499).

As Compton concludes,

“The mention of twenty-four hours shows that time pressures were being placed on the prospective bride, just as Smith had applied a time limit to Lucy Walker” (Ibid).

Jeffs used “eternal salvation” as an enticement for young girls to marry him, just as Smith did. According to Helen,

“After which he [Joseph Smith] said to me, ‘If you will take this step, it will ensure your eternal salvation & exaltation and that of your father’s household & all of your kindred.[‘] This promise was so great that I willingly gave myself to purchase so glorious a reward.’ As in the case of Sarah Whitney, Joseph gave the teenage daughter responsibility not only for her own salvation but for that of her whole family. Thus Helen’s acceptance of a union that was not intrinsically attractive to her was an act of youthful sacrifice and heroism.” (Ibid)

At first, Helen thought the marriage to the middle-aged Smith was only for eternity, not time, and thus would not include conjugal relations. However, she

“discovered that it included time also. These lines present a bleak picture of Helen’s mental state in the months after the wedding. . . . She must have been attracted to boys her own age, as would be normal. She certainly was already paying attention to Horace Whitney. The marriage to Smith coming so suddenly and blocking these growing feelings must have been devastating to her. These lines are the first evidence of depression in Helen Mar’s life” (Ibid., 500-501).

While Smith “only” had 30-40 wives (as admitted in a LDS Church Gospel Topics essay footnote), Jeffs had 78 wives! A number of these were his step-mothers whom he took when his father died in 2002. In addition, 27 of Jeffs’ wives—more than a third!—were under 17.  See here. Apparently many of the FLDS child brides agreed to their marriage arrangements because the union would bring positive results for them and their families.

In his book Prophet’s Prey (New York: Bloomsbury, 2011), private investigator Sam Brower explains:

“None of the girls had to be dragged to the altar. The children were filled with the belief that these marriages were good and pure, and they understood the prestige that would come from being placed with such important men.” (219)

To see more on a situation where the FLDS community required a 14-year-old girl to be married to an older man, see here.

“Let murder of unborn children cease in thy nation now.” Section Revelation 109:7, October 27, 2011

Besides not allowing for polygamy, a sin that is mentioned in practically every admonition to a particular country in Message to All Nations involves abortion. On the August 2, 2012, Section Revelation 1:8, 10 was written. It states:

“I shall give no forgiveness to them of unholy intent to murder unborn child order, of medical, or medicine, even birth control unholy contraceptive order; all murder of unborn child order way; for life beginneth at the conception, or what could be holy life order conceiving; such medical or personal labor, medicine of stopping life from growing at conception, all are intentional murder against unborn child order. . . . Now tell physician order who administereth any birth control medicine they are murder unholy order; also, all nurse order who knoweth they administer contraceptive order.”

Section Revelation 45:40, 42 (March 31, 2011) says:

“Thus saith the Lord: Murder of unborn children is a curse in every nation that allows this evil, whether it be hidden or outward. . . . This murder of innocence is so great on the earth, that I, the Lord, shall soon take a hand, that my spirit children coming to this earth may have a place and receive their earthly tabernacles in honor, and among peoples who will thus teach these children virtuous and righteous and pure ways of abiding in God.”

Three weeks later, Section Revelation 59 (April 25, 2011) was written, with verse 117 saying:

“Cast off the murder of unborn children, and your immoral and licentious and wicked ways that promote the murder of unborn children, that I may spare thee a nation at the time of my coming…”

How is it possible, Jesus asks in Message to All Nations, for the legal system to incarcerate an “innocent” man such as Jeffs and yet allow abortionists to remain free? Section Revelation 178:33 (May 19, 2012) states,

“Now come to me, you of professing moral way; yet in your order of living the self order of judging my holy order, you put my servant in prison; yet crime of murder of unborn youth order is replete throughout nation.”

While I agree that abortion is wrong, I’m not sure how Jeffs and his church are innocent in this regard. While the FLDS church members are instructed not to abort fetuses, are they taught the proper principles of raising their children after birth? A look at the FLDS community shows that dysfunctional is an adjective that could describe just about any noun in relationship to FLDS children. For example, which parent(s) would allow their teenaged girl to be given as a wife to a 40- or 50-year old man…who has other wives and children older than this girl? Or would a loving parent mistreat boys as they do in this community?

The term “Lost Boys” has been designated for those young men who have been kicked out of the community when they become competition to the older men for the young girls. As Brower writes in Prophet’s Prey,

“The age at which the boys enter the danger zone starts at about only eleven years and they remain at risk until adulthood. Extensive testing has shown that most of the Lost Boys are lucky to leave school with a third-grade education. Everything depends upon their obedience level and what kinds of skills they can contribute to the hive. At a time when normal parents would give their kids extra support and work with them through mistakes, the church leadership looks for opportunities to expel the young offenders. They are mostly used as drones to be case aside when their usefulness is exhausted.” (57-58)

Brower tells a typical story as told by a boy who was only 12:

“He arrived home from a construction job, and Father told him to take a shower and clean up because they were going out to dinner. After a great meal at the Mark Twain Inn, his father broke the news. Uncle Warren had decided that the son was a ‘bad seed’ whose evil actions were endangering the rest of the family. To protect the eternal salvation of his siblings, the boy had to be cast out not only from his home, but from the entire community before his evil influence could spread like a plague. Father already had packed some of his son’s things. He drove him out to the highway and left him there with the suggestion that perhaps he could find shelter with another banished family member. The boy also was given the same warning that I would hear repeated over and over, so often that it is burned into my memory: ‘Don’t call; if you try to do so, we will not accept your calls and will hang up on you. If you write, we will destroy your letters without reading them.’ One day a boy can be in the bosom of his community, protected by the prophet and family, and the next, he is out on his own.” (Ibid, 58-59)

Instead of focusing so much on the crime of abortion, perhaps Jeffs should have been more concerned about instructing his church how to take care of the children who were already born.

“I shall cause a scourging to come upon this state…” Section Revelation 59:9, April 25, 2011

Over and over again, impending doom upon civilization is spelled out. Part of the problem angering Jesus is the treatment Jeffs received at the hands of the U.S. government. The first three verses of Section Revelation 35 describe an apparent conspiracy that was involved in incarcerating Jeffs:

“Thus saith the Lord unto the nation of the United States of America: I, the Lord, am soon to send the shaking of the earth in a place in thy land not known as a usual place of violent shaking, unto the loss of many lives. Let it be known, I, the Lord, have sent my message to government officials to free my servant Warren Jeffs, to cause my people to receive back their lands and houses, and you heed me not. Thus I shall cause a great destruction in the land of Illinois, to the loss of life and to our awakening, that when I, the Lord, speak, let my word be fulfilled, lest you become as a people only worthy to be swept off my land of Zion.”

According to verse 68, government officials would somehow “know beforehand” about this “shaking of the earth”:

“Now put it on record, saith the Lord, there shall now be a shaking in the place I have named, in a manner that government officials shall know beforehand that it would be so, which shall awake a few, denied by most unto their eternal condemnation, knowing my word, and would not heed my word.”

This “shaking” obviously refers to a potential earthquake in Illinois, a state that I’m guessing Jeffs does not like because it was the home of President Obama. According to the “revelation,” this earthquake would be of such magnitude that many lives will be lost. The question is, what does the word “soon” mean? Are we talking a few days? A few years? A few decades?

Since President Obama never attempted to free Jeffs, it should be safe to assume that this prophecy should have been fulfilled right away if it was really issued by God. With that said, understand that the largest earthquake in Illinois took place in 1968, with a magnitude of 5.4—a number that cannot compare with the shakings that take place regularly in other earthquake regions around the world. Since the time of this 2011 prophecy, the largest earthquake Illinois has had was in 2013 (3.2 in LaGrange, IL). Since Jeffs will eventually die in prison, I once again ask, when should this quake be expected? No specifics are provided.

Besides Illinois, a hodgepodge of other US states and particular cities are also named for judgment. The following are some of the places that stand out, with a short quote cited from the revelation:

Albany (New York): 6:73 says, “Let the city of Albany hasten to repent, for your wickedness is great. Meanwhile, Section Revelation 8:53 states, “Albany, New York shall burn with fire from heaven.” (Note: This hasn’t happened since it was given on October 21, 2010.)

Austin (Texas): 59:6: “That city called Austin shall be covered by a great mountain, having become a capital city of oppositions against my Zion.” Verse 9 continues, “I shall cause a scourging to come upon this state where my Land of Holiness is located on the earth, where my house is built.” (Note: Austin was the site of the court case where Jeffs was tried. And this event hasn’t happened since it was given on April 25, 2011.)

Boston: 6:43: “The city of Boston shall be swept clean.” (Note: Now that it’s been mentioned, I did see some trash in the street the last time I visited Beantown; perhaps the sanitation department could do a better job in the “sweeping” of the streets.)

Cincinnati: 138:30 states, “Cincinnati shall soon be a destroyed city.” (Note: Cincinnati has not yet been destroyed since this was given on December 15, 2011.)

Chicago: 63:38 and 47 say, “Look well into organized crime in Chicago connecting with rich businessmen of an organization seeking free trade, and also having made some connections with foreign powers who also seek economic benefit by changing of laws and rules, in trade and commerce, the laws of this nation, seeking to get gain thereby. . . . Do not be taken in a snare by rich businessmen in promoting thy attending a business conference in Chicago of soon naming.”

Idaho: 103:7: “Idaho shall be a melting fire of such powers to cleanse my land of all evil.” (Note: This hasn’t happened since it was given on October 5, 2011.)

Kansas City, Missouri: 6:77: “Be warned of the complete cleansing of my sacred place where the New Jerusalem shall be built.” (Note: This hasn’t happened since it was given on October 25, 2010.)

Los Angeles: 58:52: “Los Angeles shall sink in the earth, the time the earth reels to and fro.” (Note: This hasn’t happened since it was given on April 24, 2011.)

New York: 6:42: “I shall cause the city of New York to be without inhabitant.” (Note:

This hasn’t happened since it was given on October 25, 2010.)

New Jersey: 6:81: “Let the people of New Jersey repent, that I may turn away my wrath against them.” (Note: I’m not sure if the people of New Jersey have ever repented, but if they didn’t—and there’s no sign they have—this hasn’t happened since it was given on October 25, 2010.)

San Diego: 37:35: “Let the city of San Diego know that a devastating earthquake and the waves of the sea shall come upon thee, and the ravenous and wild animals in thy borders shall to a distress to thy peoples in that day of greater trial and judgment.” (Note: The great Tohoku Japan earthquake was on March 11, 2011, took place less than two weeks before this revelation. Some speculated that tsunamis could land on San Diego’s coast in the days after this event, but no such event ever took place. Could the events in Japan have triggered this particular revelation dated March 23, 2011? It should also be noted that earthquakes between 1.5 and 2.0 magnitude occur monthly in the San Diego area. Every year earthquakes of 4.0 or higher magnitude take place. Yet, once more, this “devastating earthquake” has not taken place since it was given on March 23, 2011.)

Seattle: 103:8: “Let also Seattle know that cometh a shaking and tidal wave upon her.” (Note: This hasn’t happened since it was given on October 5, 2011.)

Utah and Arizona: 59:14-15: “Thus shall the states of Utah and Arizona also be humbled, capital cities left desolate in a time of great judgment; and they shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken, that those who fight against my Priesthood and the rise of Zion shall come to naught. Their habitations shall be empty and desolate.” Section Revelation 103:6 says, “Let also Arizona know that my judgment cometh; that earthquake and the sinking in the sea shall be on the capital city there; also volcano and earthquake take power in my habited and larger populated places in Utah and Arizona. As took place in the meridian of time in the days of the Nephite cleansing of my land, preparing for my coming among them, so shall it be in this time.” (Note: The first “revelation” was written April 25, 2011, before Jeffs was convicted. The second was given on October 5, 2011, a few months after his final conviction. As far as the promised judgment, nothing of this sort has yet taken place in either Arizona or Utah.)

In Message to All Nations, Jesus comes across as very judgmental and angry—and yet he continually reminds people to avoid using violence or instruments of war. I assume that Jeffs was watching the TV news in the prison that held him in Eldorado, Texas on the day it was announced that Osama bin-Laden—the orchestrator of the 9-11 attacks in America in 2001—was killed by American personnel on May 2, 2011. The next day, May 3, was Jeffs’ most prolific single day of writing “revelations,” as he wrote five long sections (numbers 67-71).

According to these revelations, Jesus was unhappy with the use of force against bin-Laden. Section Revelation 66:68 states, “And though you justified, on accusations of terrorism, your attack, thus saith the Lord: That government that was in power attacked thee not, and you were not justified.” Section Revelation 70:3-6 explains how the Obama administration should have used peaceful means to capture the nation’s enemy. It reads,

“Thus saith the Lord to those who thus murdered Osama bin Laden: You have transgressed greatly, turning to murder in a manner of seeking to retaliate against one in another land, not using the government powers where he dwelt to apprehend him safely, which could have easily been accomplished had you thus stepped forth and acted on correct principles. But in thy glory-seeking and in thy violent nature, yea, to the celebration of millions in thy nation, you hath murdered a man who could have been apprehended peacefully, were attempts made therein by the governing power of the nation where he dwelt, being near the capital city and power of authority of that nation in Pakistan. I, the Lord, rebuke thee for thy murderous intent, turning to violence when peaceful means, or the governing powers over that place of residence, could have been used to apprehend and take in custody one accused of crimes.”

For some reason, Jeffs has sympathy for a terrorist who opposed the American government. Perhaps he personally identified himself with the former fugitive.

On September 25, 2012, Jeffs made a prediction in Section Revelation 239:11-12:

“Suicide bomber way shall be beginning of naval battle of United States being attacked to provoke conflict. Do not retaliate at all.”

Of course, nothing like this has happened since it was given–an easy out for most of Jeffs’ prophecies is that they haven’t happened…yet. He adds in verse 14, “A holy order is to forgive, then guard own nation for more aggression if of true peace. Amen.” Section Revelation 242 was written on October 19, 2012, and it says,

“Now also destroy all armored vehicles, air power of military way that can harm other nation order, if desiring God-given preserving during time I send whirlwind judgment power on Zion land, also on all nation order, saith your God. Amen.”

The God of judgment in so many ways apparently is also a God of peace when it comes to the way nations are supposed to work out their conflicts with other nations.

“I am soon to come in the power of judgment upon every nation.” Section Revelation 6:24, October 25, 2010

In the fall of 2010, Jeffs dedicated the majority of his revelation sections to the destruction of the world and the coming of Armageddon. For example, Section Revelation 8:2-6 (October 21, 2010) states,

“I shall soon cause the coming of a heavenly body. It shall cause the destruction of many as I bring forth a people to dwell upon my land of Zion. This heavenly body shall bring forth a new people to receive my word. So great shall be this event, that the greatest earthquake the world has ever known or recorded shall sweep peoples of iniquity off every land. I shall also cause the War of Armageddon to take place among those peoples who continue to persecute my people.”

Many of the judgments are written to particular nations, with specific information included about those countries that were in the news at that particular time. Because Jeffs appears to be a news-hound, issues of genocide, immorality, or mistreatment of the people taking place in a country are stressed. The following nations are addressed (with the revelation numbers given in parentheses—some nations had two or even three dedicated revelation chapters) and a sample verse is provided. (The verse number of the quote appears in parentheses at the end.)

Angola (168:12): “Let leader of Angola bring rebel unholy leader to full justice, lest entire land be of war.”

Australia (117:32): “Let Australia know population on low lands shall be of a tsunami tidal wave.” (Note: This was given October 31, 2011, and no tsunamis in Australia since this date have been reported.)

Bahrain (39:76): “Let Bahrain also be warned of injustice toward her peoples, for I, the Lord, shall humble thee and the leaders of thy land.”

Balkans (22): “Cause this to be as a warning, lest my judgment come upon your several peoples, to stop the evils of corrupt and immoral practices of your lands.” (6)

Belgium (17:3): “Let the nation of Belgium also be warned to overthrow all laws that permit corruption and immorality to exist.”

Bolivia/Ecuador (117:53): “Let also Bolivia with Ecuador hear my word, to cleanse their own nation, each one, of the gross evils among the gentile nations of murder of unborn children, also Sodom and immoral ways, to then be of a cleansing authority of other peoples.”

Bosnia (39:80): “Let there be a mediation between the nations in the Bosnia area of a soon happening, saith the Lord Jesus Christ, lest greater war break out among them and there be people swept off the earth.” (Question: If the “revelation” was dictated by Jesus—as it states in the preface—isn’t it strange that he would state, “saith the Lord Jesus Christ”?)

Botswana (1:95): “I, your Lord Jesus Christ, speak to nation of Botswana, a holy word to repent of evil murder order in national governing power, also among populace.”

Brazil (31, 109): “I, the Lord, have weighed you in the balance and found you wanting. Therefore, I shall send my destroying angel to visit the inhabitants of that nations, to sweep them from off the face of my land of Zion. Cause that the nation of Brazil receive my warning, and to repent; for I, the Lord, shall soon send upon them the judgment of the overflowing scourge; for they are ripened in iniquity and must needs be swept off the land” (31:2-4). In Section Revelation 130 (dated January 3, 2012), it states simply, “Let nation of Brazil be destroyed.” (Note: This event has not yet occurred.)

Burma (50): “He who reigneth on high, even your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, speaketh to that nation called Burma, a nation of ancient origin and of modern wickedness where the leaders of this nations oppress their own peoples, even to the murdering of their own peoples in a despotic and unrighteous rule. Thus saith the Lord who made you: Judgment shall come upon you for your wickedness as leaders, and I shall humble thee through storm and disease. And there shall come upon you a work that shall remove present leadership.” (1-2) (Note: President Thein Sein was elected on March 30, 2011, and Jeffs wrote his “prophecy” a few days later on April 5, 2011. While Burma remains a country in turmoil, Sein and his government remain in office three years later.)

China (26): “Send representatives unto my servant Warren Jeffs to thus acknowledge my rule.” (35) (Note: If any country could put pressure on the U.S. government, perhaps Jeffs thought that the Chinese government had enough clout to help him get released.)

Colombia (32): “Overthrow laws of immorality being allowed in your land.” (6)

Denmark (18): “I, the Lord, have in my hands the bow and the quiver to send forth my judgments; for you are a people as Sodom. And thus shall I sweep you from off the face of the earth, for abominations shall not reign upon the earth to destroy the purity of my work and word of salvation.” (2-3) (Note: Denmark has not been swept “from off the face of the earth” since this revelation was given on October 21, 2010.)

Egypt (15, 43, 105): “Let the city of Cairo build unto me a sanctuary, even a place for my power unto the preservation of thy nation.” (15:1) In 105, Jesus is reminded of this command and says, “Remember my previous word I sent to you to prepare a sacred house to be a sanctuary of a covenant of peace and obedience to your Lord; to be people of greater peace among nations.” (11)

Finland (116:10): “Let Finland also send to my servant a corresponding reply to tell of new improvings in thy national law to do away with these evils…”

France (74, 110): Section Revelation 1:105 says, “Let France repent; full war cometh of the loss of most life in nation if of use of nuclear weapon unholy order.” Revelation 16:4-5 explains, “Let this nation of France, now receive my warning voice; that I, the Lord, shall sweep from their land the corrupt and abominable who are in the condition of the ancient city of Sodom; and as I caused fire from heaven to destroy that city, so shall the nation of France be consumed by the power of my judgment. Let the people of France turn from all their wicked and perverse ways, lest my judgments shall leave your cities desolate.” And Section Revelation 74:31 states, “Perform the works I have named if you desire to be a preserved nation in the time of my greater judgments, else all my promises shall be fulfilled concerning thee, both in this warning and my previous warning I have sent, saith your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who ruleth over all, who bringeth with Him the reward of a just recompense to all men, according the measure they have given toward their fellow man. Amen.” (Note: As of today, France has not been “left desolate.”)

Germany (17, 108): “Cause that the nation of Germany also be warned, that they are now ripened in iniquity, and many of their cities shall be left desolate, because of the murders and abominations and corruption that are among them. “ (17:1) (Note: Just as the other European countries, Germany is still populated with people.)

Great Britain (28): “And I shall send upon them my judgments, to cleanse the inside of the platter; to cause all wickedness to cease in their land; and to prepare them to receive my Gospel of salvation,. . .” (2) (Note: There is still evil being done in Great Britain and it still survives.)

Greece (68): “Only use thy military for self-defense, and not against thine own peoples; for this is a grave sin in the leadership of nations, even resorting to murder to get gain or power.” (7)

Holland (Netherlands) (19): “Let the city of Amsterdam be warned of the desolation that awaits her; for she is as a stench in the earth, corrupting the inhabitants in continual degradation. . . . I shall cause your city to be as a garment in the fire, to cleanse your land of all corruption and gross abomination.” (1, 3) (Note: Amsterdam still boasts of its Red Light District and yet it hasn’t been destroyed.)

India (47:49): “Other cities in India shall experience this and know that a judgment is coming among your peoples.”

Indonesia (152): “Unjust cometh into thy borders among thy people. It shall cause great suffering among you. Let peace reign over our peoples. Make peace. Do not use military to harm thy own people when of peace. Amen.” (2-5)

Iran (25): “Let vice in your borders no longer cause other peoples to visit your land. Otherwise, I shall scourge your nation with sickness, and the judgment of desolating and unprecedented violence within your borders.” (28) (Note: Iran is still one of the worst offenders of human rights, yet there has been no judgment from God.)

Iraq (24, 77): “Let the nation of the land of ancient record, even Iraq, now make peace within her borders. Cause the fighting to come to an end.” (24:2)

Israel (12, 62): “And let there be among you a cleansing of wickedness from among thy people, lest I must send a scourging unto the purging of wickedness from your land.” (12:8)

Italy (49): “A great tsunami, earthquake, and volcanos shall come upon thy land because of your wickedness continuing through the ages of time, and more especially now. The leader of your nation is corrupt and unworthy to be a leader. . . . And though you have your false churches in my name, you have not revelation from me and are not my true Church of God among you.” (3-4, 8) (Note: No “great tsunami, earthquake, or volcano” has been reported since this was written on April 2, 2011.)

Japan (29, 69, 112): “Though you were humbled as a nation in the great war of your doing, I, the Lord, shall cause a greater judgment to come of desolation of abominable and corrupt ways, even to know of the sorrows of great measure unto the cleansing of your nation of these immoral ways.” (29:15) In 69:10 it says, “For you shall see more tidal waves, earthquakes, and volcanos and great storms, and disease spread across thy nation if you heed not the God of glory…” Later, in 112:3, it says, “I have sent a humbling of earthquake and tidal wave upon thee, your nation still feeling the effects of that power of judgment.” (Note: Section 29 was written before the famous tsunami (mentioned in the last two quotes) took place in March 2011. Although earthquakes and tsunamis are a common part of the rhetoric used by Jeffs in judgment warnings, not one mention of a potential earthquake or tsunami was referenced in Section Revelation 29, dated November 8, 2010, just a few months before the event took place. Rather, a general warning in verse 11—“Now be warned of judgment to be sent upon you as these evils continue” –is given. If the words “earthquake” or “tsunami” had been used, this would have been the perfect prooftext that Jeffs’ followers could have used to support his prophetic ability. Alas, there is not even one mention. In sections 69 and 112, the past tragedy was mentioned to predict a future tsunami. However, since 2011, there have been no additional major earthquakes or tsunamis since 2011. )

Kazakhstan (85): “And I shall send judgments to sweep the more wicked out of thy land, preserving the more righteous, yet a humbled and sparse people remaining as I send forth earthquake and storms and disease, the wars that thou engendered and sought after, and other pestilences I shall send—all to prepare every nation on earth, leaving the more righteous among them, through great judgments of God, to come to Zion and know of my eternal ways from heaven as I descend to earth and establish my righteous reign.” (10)

Latvia (94): “Repent ye! Yea, the leaders thereof more especially, and do not allow contention among thee, lest violence come upon thy borders, and you be a conquered nation again, as you hitherto have been.” (3)

Liberia (1:99): “Let nation of Liberia hear word of God, even Jesus Christ, who is God over all lands, peoples, nations, governing order, to repent of unholy murder; also child unborn youth abortion entire way stopped, or great judgment cometh to cause land to not be of inhabitant, a judgment power of God. Amen.”

Libya (81): “Thus saith the Lord Jesus Christ, the Great I AM, who dwells in the heavens and rules over all nations of the earth, to the leader of Libya, even Muammar Qaddafi (sp).” (1) Gaddafi originally took control of Libya in 1969 through a coup. Here the leader is told to “Cease your aggression against thine own peoples” (3). In verse 4, Jesus said, “Repent ye! Repent ye! Is the word of the God who made you, for you shall stand before Him in the day of judgment and receive according to the deeds done in the flesh, for thou art a corrupt and murderous and immoral man, and I, the Lord God, declare it to thee.”

Jesus said in verse 9, “I, the Lord, have declared it—that though you remain in power a short time, I, the Lord God, shall cause thee to be removed from power. And then cometh the time of thy passing soon after, wherein you shall stand before a just God for a just judgment.” Gaddafi died on October 20, 2011, just five months after this May 7, 2011 “revelation.” Did Jeffs get on right? Highly unlikely. Anyone watching the television in May 2011 could have very well predicted Gaddafi’s demise. His last year in leadership was under siege. On April 30, 2011, a NATO airstrike killed one of his sons and three grandsons in Tripoli. Just two weeks before, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for Gaddafi to be killed or captured. Thus, it wasn’t a surprise to most observers of when Gaddafi was captured in September 2011 and then killed a month later.

Liechtenstein (1:102): “Let Liechtenstein now do full repenting.”

Lithuania (171): “You are not of pure order as a nation, murder both of unborn children, also secret government murder of they of disagreeing way against government officials now rampant in governing power order in thy nation.” (2)

Mauritania (60, 176): “Judgment shall come upon thee because of your murderous ways in seeking power and influence and gain. I, the Lord, have declared it. . . . Thus saith the Lord Jesus Christ, even He who loves the salvation of all men and women who would heed my message of salvation; but when your crimes are of a murderous and corrupt nature, great shall be your condemnation, even in eternity.” (60:4, 7)

Mexico (30): “And I call upon you of the nation of Mexico to be warned of my continued judgments to be poured out upon you.” (6)

Nicaragua (52:2-3): “Repent ye, or an earthquake of large size shall come to thy borders and destroy many lives.” (Note: Every month Nicaragua has earthquakes between 4.0 and 5.0 magnitude, with several 6.0’s during the past year. This is a geographical fact, so to claim that Nicaragua will have earthquakes is like saying that it will snow this winter in Utah or get to over 100 degrees in Arizona.)

North Korea (181): “Let that nation called North Korea know that though you shall have power for a time to humble other nations, your wickedness hath come up before me; your corruptions against your own peoples are known.” (47:53)

Pakistan (27, 78): “I have seen your evil and corrupt ways of violence against women; and also our violent ways against other nations; even to join in secret combinations with those of a violent nature warring in other lands. Thus shall I cause judgment to come upon your nation according to your continued evil and corrupt ways.” (27:2)

Papua New Guinea (1:82):  “Know tsunami cometh to Indonesia, to Papua New Guinea, to Atlantic Ocean nation order, to Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean in great order, sea heaving beyond bounds soon.” (Note: For island countries, predicting a tsunami is like suggesting there could be an earthquake in California next year. Section Revelation 1 was given on August 2, 2012. Indeed, after my article was originally written, there was a 7.5 magnitude earthquake on February 26, 2018, triggering landslides, killing and burying people and houses, affecting water sources and destroying crops. But again, these types of things happen regularly in the Pacific islands.

Peru: (102:22):  “Let Peru be a land of preparing for holy temples to be built to administer to Israel of gathering authority.”

Philippines (129): “I, your Lord, call upon you as a people to be of prepared way to move to high grounds, as a great tidal wave cometh to sweep clean thy shores; also to be of proving thee, whether you will believe unto further obeying.” (2) (Note: There have been many hurricanes and other disasters in the Philippines since the time this was written on November 27, 2011. This should not be a surprise because there are water disasters every year in the Philippines, a chain of islands that bears the brunt of a number of deadly storms.)

Russia (79): “Your corruptions of bribery, of murder, yea, even secret combinations of secret murders, are known by me, your Lord, who seeth all things. And you shall receive the just recompense of reward for your murderous way. . . . Let there also be in your borders the ceasing of murdering your own peoples by many of the leaders, in secret combinations and secret murder, an oppressing dissidence in those who oppose your oppressive ways, in prisons, some even unto taking of their lives.” (6-7, 24)

Samoa (154): “There cometh, said your Lord Jesus Christ, a large way of flooding all unto nothing remaining on island nations’ land. You needs begin relocating to another higher ground continent entire. I tell thee this, to let all be accountable. . . . Let all who dwell on island nations in Pacific Ocean beware. Be believing, tidal waves of great magnitude shall sweep low-lying lands clean entire. Relocate to a higher land.” (2-5, 7-9) (Note: Samoa had a huge earthquake and tidal wave in 2009; while Samoa is a vulnerable island country in the Pacific, nothing of this magnitude has taken place since this was delivered on January 13, 2012. (Note: There was a 6.1 magnitude earthquake on November 7, 2020, but it did not cause a tsunami.)

Saudi Arabia (80): “Heed my warning, and repent ye of those practices that are oppressive, or that join with other nations of more violent nature against other nations, or against their own peoples, is the word of the Lord to you, and His promise that He will fulfill. . . “

Serbia (71:5): “I call upon your leaders, even the leaders of Serbia, to cease your warlike and hateful ways, where you are willing to use violence against others peoples, and to get gain and power. Let it not be.”

Sierra Leone (139): “Be of surety, I shall sweep all wicked out of thy land, unto the world of spirits, where all peoples await the holy resurrection unto the degrees of glory happiness they earn.” (6)

Somalia (96): “Repent ye of your violent ways, or you shall no longer be a nation, conquered by other nations and humbled, not only by war, but by pestilence and famine in thy borders.” (Note: This was penned on May 31, 2011, and an official famine did begin in Somalia two months later. For a response to this possible fulfillment to the prophecy, see Sudan.)

Spain (23 and 42): “I shall cause a tidal wave soon to come upon thy shores. Cause thy people to soon leave those places where the waters of the sea would thus remove the inhabitants. Let this be done during this next year.” (47) (Note: This is one of the rare cases where “Jesus” provided a timeline for the destruction.  This prophecy was given on October 21, 2010. If the people needed to move within the year, we should expect that the event promised here should happen soon after. Even if we allow for two years (after the people are all moved by October 21, 2011), this event should have taken place by October 21, 2013. However, there have been no tidal waves as promised in this prophecy.)

Switzerland (20): “Overthrow your unjust and corrupt laws of euthanasia, wherein you allow suicide.” (2)

Sri Lanka (51): “Repent ye now if you desire to exist as a nation, for thy peoples shall largely be swept of thy land when the greater judgments of the sea heaving beyond its bounds, of earthquake and of storm, bring forth pestilences and disease come upon thy peoples. And they shall know I, the Lord, have spoken.” (8) (Note: Sri Lanka is an island country that certainly has tragic situations take place, but its on-going civil war has been more harsh to the people than anything “Mother Nature” has done since this was penned in April 2011.)

Sudan (83): “I, the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, send my word: Repent of these evils, for this is my word of warning—that I am soon to send forth judgments of great power to cleanse the earth and preserve the more righteous who deal just and equitous (?) one with another, of a kind and noble way of living.”(2) Verse 3 predicts that “there shall come forth a great dearth, of starving nature in thy land, to empty the land of the more wicked, to stop this war of destruction.” (1-2) East Africa did have a drought—said to be the worst one in 60 years—lasting from July 2011 through mid-2012. Because this “revelation” was written on May 7, 2011, could this be a correct prophecy? Actually, because there was no rain in 2011, media reports in the spring were already predicting starvation problems before July, the official start-date of the drought. Anyone in America watching the TV news could have heard about the upcoming problems East Africa would have because of drought. What’s interesting is that Sudan was not even the hardest hit country, as Somalia (a country that lost tens of thousands of people to starvation), Dijbouti, Ethiopia, and Kenya were even more affected. Somalia is talked about in Section Revelation 96, though “Jesus” is not as dire-sounding in that “revelation” as he is here against Sudan.

Syria (44): “If you will turn and overcome that unrighteous rule, and become equitous (?) and more just, and give freedoms of righteousness, of expression, of worship, of women having rights and protection, I, the Lord shall spare thee. . . . Let your military only be used for self-defense, and not against mine Israel. . . . Let the President of this nation, President Assad, know that his time of ruling is short, for he hath oppressed his people and brought murder and misrule among them, and upholds violence among nations.” (6, 11, 25) In 64:25, it reads, “Let President al_Assad know that he has been weighed in the balance of eternal judgment and found wanting, he and those who support him in power as leader of this nation of Syria.” (Note: Although he’s been embroiled in a civil war since this “revelation” was written on March 30, 2011, as of this writing, Assad remains the president of Syria, even though it has been commonly predicted by political commentators that he would fall. Assad will eventually lose his power, as all rulers do; however, this will not come about because of this prophecy.)

Turkey (21, 61 ): “They continue in the evils of genocide, in seeking the destruction of peoples not in their religious tenets. . . . Let there be peace made with the Kurdish people.” (21:2, 9) Section Revelation 40:47 adds, “For in that nation of Turkey is corruption throughout their government of unrighteous rule, and when you uphold an unrighteous government of despotic rule that denies the rights of women and children and of minority religions, you are guilty; and thus you do throughout the earth for economic gain, and it will not stand longer.”

Venezuela (93): “The Lord saith further in His message to that nation, yea, the leader of that nation of Venezuela: Humble thyself, lest my judgments come upon thee and remove thee from power. Promote good in thy borders, and be no longer an oppressive leader to thine own peoples, for I have seen the secrets of thine administration and shall cleanse your land and your governing officials, even to the removing from power those who reign in this nation at this time.” (30-32). (Note: While Hugo Chavez, the president of Venezuela, did die in March 2013, he won the presidential election in 2012, the year before this was written on May 30, 2011, and his government is still in power today, contrary to this “revelation.”)

Yemen (46): “Thy unrighteous rule is soon to be overthrown. The peoples are rising up, and because of thy wickedness of thy rules, I, the Lord, shall give you place no longer as leaders of a wicked nation that oppress your own peoples and promote terrorism and warring among nations.”

Links to the prophetical office of Joseph Smith are made, as more than a dozen pages of Message to the Nations include quotes from Ether 2 (Book of Mormon), Teaching of the Prophet Joseph Smith (p. 17), and D&C 1, 43, 45, 65, 87, 101, and 121. These quotes are prefaced by Section Revelation 34, which starts off this way:

“Let all peoples bow the knee, and every tongue confess: ‘Thou are just, and thy rule of righteousness is extant, and thy love for all is equity and truth upheld in dominions of peace. . .”

Then, in an obvious reference to Jeffs’ own claim to being the authorized prophet, quotes are provided from Leroy S. Johnson and Rulon Jeffs (Warren’s father), who preceded Jeffs as the FLDS prophet. In addition, biblical quotes from Joseph Smith’s Inspired Version (including  Matthew 24, Luke 17, 2 Peter 3, Isaiah 2-4, and Revelation 7, 12, and 20)  are used as additional support of Jeffs’ eschatological vision.

What are we to make of Jeffs’ prophecies for judgment?

Allow me to make some prophecies and let me see what you think:

  • A Republican congressman will lose the election in November.
  • A hurricane will hit the East Coast next year.
  • There will be a war in Africa and many people will starve.
  • A plane will crash very soon and many lives will be lost.

Are you impressed? Probably not. Why not? Because these prophecies are so generic that it would be more abnormal if they did not occur. Jeffs understands geography and natural disasters. His “prophecies” include typical events for the countries he targets.

When he says earthquakes will hit Southern California or South America, tidal waves or tsunamis will devastate island nations such as the Philippines or Somoa, or a hurricane will destroy New Orleans, he’s eventually going to be correct. These disasters happen because they are part of the course of nature for those areas, not because “Jesus” predicted they would come if the people did not repent. Wouldn’t it be more impressive if Jeffs predicted cataclysmic events for places that typically don’t suffer from those calamities?  Imagine a tsunami or hurricane affecting Las Vegas. That would be unusual and a case could be made for it being traced to the hand of God!

Another trick used by Jeffs is predicting events that might be abnormal but are easily predictable. Thus, when a famine—the largest in 60 years—begins a few months after his prediction, it appears that God is really behind it. But we must remember that scientists fully understood that this event in Africa was 90 percent likely. I don’t have to be a prophet to say, “If more Utahans don’t leave Mormonism, then Jesus said that there would be a drought next spring in the state of Utah.” That’s a likely prediction that will come to pass because of natural causes, not because it is God’s judgment on humanity.

A follower of the FLDS prophet might say, “Maybe the events predicted by Jesus haven’t come about yet, but that doesn’t mean they won’t… eventually.” Go back through the predictions listed above. Besides general fulfillments, it doesn’t appear he was right on even one specific prophecy. There was a chance to predict the Japanese tsunami a few years ago, but nothing was said about tsunamis occurring in Japan until after the fact. (This would have been the time to say “run to the hills!”)

In fact, as I write this paragraph in 2022 (most of the article was written in 2014), I don’t see any specific prophesies about a world pandemic (COVID) taking place. There was plenty of opportunity and yet there is nothing here!

At the end of 2012, Jeffs predicted there would be no 2013, even causing the town’s grocery store to close down temporarily. Does this sound like short-term or long-term prophecies? Despite the many tricks and nuances, it appears that the FLDS prophet is batting .000. Just like in baseball, there are no “do-overs” in creating prophecies.

Conspiracies and bizarre prophecies abound throughout the book. Among many others, Section Revelation 247:1 provides a good example. Here Jesus says to “tell nation of Israel, I see secret murder way of plan unpiloted by satellite control, to destroy and assassinate people of no direct way to defend self in a way to show innocence of self-defending in battle.” This was dated November 16, 2012. However, in the previous month, a report of this very thing was written on the Internet. Very little is original with Jeffs!

“My holy law hurts no one.” Section 174:19, December 14, 2011

Beginning in 2005, Jeffs was hiding from federal authorities for more than a year, all the while living an hypocritical lifestyle while his followers struggled to pay their tithing and contribute offerings to subsidize his flamboyant escapades. In June 2005, he and his favorite wife Naomi were in Pensacola, Florida. Sam Brower describes the scene that took place on a Florida beach:

“Both wore bathing suits as they happily watched the other near-naked bodies around them. Warren reported that he was pleasing the Lord ‘in this amazing experience of being unclothed, suntanning, dressing like the world with only a swimsuit on.’ He had bought a year’s worth of new contact lenses, his hair was trimmed, and he was starting a mustache. One of the church-run businesses had just sent him $15,500 for spending money along with a sparkling new Porsche Cayenne. At night, he and Naomi watched television and movies in the hotel room and appeared to be feigning disgust at the pornography as they avidly scrutinized each scene. . . .

He used prepaid, throw-away cell phones routed through complex dock and talk networks as his main means of communication, but bags of mail containing letters of support and plenty of cash for him were waiting at rendezvous points. . . .” (Prophet’s Prey, 198)

While Jeffs demanded perfection and holiness from his followers, he lived with no rules attached while he was hiding from the federal authorities. Brower explains:

“Tooling along in a new SUV, with pretty young wives made up like gentiles at his side, eluding the cops, keeping the flock scared to death with pronouncements of doom, directing the building of his temple at R-17 [in Texas], and still managing all the affairs of the church, expelling men and conducting underage marriages, lifted him to the status of cult hero among the believers. His FLDS acolytes thought the way that the prophet outwitted his enemies was great fun.

The mysterious road trip of Warren Jeffs, fueled by his inner ferocity for secrecy, would continue many months and take him from ‘the gentile amusement park called Disneyland’ in California, through the heart of Dixie, up to the rocky coast of Maine, across the prairies, and into the mountains. He lived in hotels and motels or secret refuge houses or he might show up unannounced at the home of a sympathizer” (Ibid, 199).

An earlier example of Jeffs’ experience with secularism took place in February 2005 in New Orleans during the raunchy celebration of Mardi Gras. Consider the following description in Section Revelation 59:112 (April 25, 2011):

“The city of New Orleans is a most corrupt place, and I sent forth a great judgment upon her; and she shall be swept off the earth by the sea as that iniquity continues, even of legal consent among you.”

Brower provides details of Jeffs’ trip to the Big Easy on pages 171 to 175 of his book:

“In February 2005, the Lord told Jeffs to take another road trip, this time to the last place I would have suspected. ‘He will have me witness one of the most immoral parties that this nation allows,’ he stated, and with ten thousand dollars in his pocket, he led his little cadre of (favorite wife) Naomi and their driver-helpers Isaac Jeffs and Ben Johnson to New Orleans. He had been there the previous year and witnessed the evils of a New Orleans Saints professional football game. This time, there was an even bigger attraction: Mardi Gras.

They arrived in the Big Easy at eleven o’clock on Sunday morning, February 6, and Naomi and Warren were dropped off at Bourbon Street to stroll the French Quarter while Isaac and Ben hunted up hotel rooms. Soon, partiers were massing in what the prophet called ‘one great ugly, dark immorality.’ It was everything he had dreamed about.

The parades began, and outrageously costumed and masked women and men aboard carnival floats pulled by little tractors hurled beads and necklaces into the cheering throng. . . . Male and female nude dancers shimmied in bars. Restaurants overflowed with business. Some couples danced crazily with the women unzipping their partners and groping in public. People with cameras took pictures of every lewd act, and police wandered around almost aimlessly. Huge loudspeakers boomed deafening bass beats. Women fainted, drunks fell. As revolting as it was, God kept sending Warren and his two wide-eyed men back to be witnesses to the immorality of the world. . . .

After obeying the Lord’s command to witness some more sinful behavior on the room’s television set, they tried to get some sleep, although a man and woman had a loud flight in the adjoining room at four o’clock in the morning. The Lord ordered Warren to stick around for another night so that he could actually witness more of the city’s sins.

When Hurricane Katrina struck the Louisiana coast six months later, on August 29, devastating the city and leaving more than 1,800 people dead, the prophet was convinced that he had literally summoned down to this place of sin one of his oft-sought whirlwind judgments from God.”

When he was finally arrested in 2006, FBI agents recovered meticulous records, including hundreds of organized receipts, detailing Jeffs’ travels to such places as “Texas to Oklahoma to Colorado to Washington State, and from Sacramento to Fresno, California, before lopping down through Las Vegas and heading east to Florida” (Ibid, 197). All of this was done on the dime of his people attempting to live the FLDS law the best they could.

“Treat wives kindly. Treat girls as sacred vessels.” Section Revelation 159:87-88, January 22, 2012

Warren Jeffs knew how to talk the talk. Was he able to walk it? The evidence proves not.

Throughout the dozens of admonitions give to countries around the world, Message to the Nations stressed the importance of treating the female gender with gentleness and respect. This was especially true with countries where there was a majority Islamic population. For example, Turkey is addressed in Section Revelation 21:6, which says, “Cause the women to have protection from cruel and corrupt practices of their husbands, or other men who are of corrupt and evil practices.” To Iran, Section Revelation 25:41 states, “Let the women be schooled.”

This idea is especially reinforced throughout “revelations” penned in 2012, including:

Section Revelation 160:54: “Women shall be treated as honorable, not used to be of the way of men’s unholy desires abused, not of immoral way.”

Section Revelation 168:7: “Let all be sons of pure way, to not abuse women, to be kind to all; to have pure way of my Gospel as your way to be of flesh way living in pure holy motive to please thy Lord in all way of holy living…”

Section Revelation 177:9: “Let women be free, to be educated, to have full law protection from abuse, ye nations.”

In the FLDS community, girls and women are treated as tokens, traded amongst the men with power so the dominant sex could get whatever they wanted. The case against Jeffs involved two different teenagers whom Jeffs married, including 12-year-old Marrianne Jessop. Let’s allow Sam Brower, private investigator, provide the background to this tragic story:

“Bishop Merril Jessop had contributed his twelve-year-old daughter Merrianne to marry the prophet. Warren Jeffs contributed one of his own daughters, Teresa, who had turned fifteen the previous day, to marry thirty-six-year-old Raymond Merril Jessop, one of the bishop’s sons, who was already a polygamist. Wendell Nielsen chipped in his own fifteen-year-old stepdaughter, LeAnn, to be a bride of Merril Leroy Jessop, age thirty-three, another of the bishop’s sons. Family, fortunes, and fate were being knitted together in a huge criminal conspiracy. . . .

At the ceremony performed by Jessop, the top of the diminutive Merrianne’s head came up to about the middle of the torso of her lanky husband, who stood six feet four. The marriage delighted him, and he exuberantly admitted one of his most heinous crimes to his scribe for the Priesthood Record: ‘There was sealed Merrianne Jessop to Warren Steed Jeffs. That’s me!’

Merrianne was given to the care of Warren’s favorite concubines, Naomi and Millie, for further training, and two weeks later, the child was led to the ceremonial bed that had been designed to the prophet’s specifications.  There, she was sexually assaulted by the panting, praying Warren, assisted by Naomi and at least one other wife, in a mockery of a loving marital union.

The event was recorded on audio tape and later transcribed. ‘That feels good. Now repeat the words from your mouth. . . . How do you feel, Merrianne?’ Warren prompted as he violated the little girl. A timid child’s voice replied, ‘Feels good.’” (Ibid, 219-220)

After Jeffs and the other ringleaders were arrested months later, Merrianne was taken by federal authorities during a raid of the YFZ Ranch in Texas. “Evidence was discovered that suggested that she may have already become a mother herself, at the age of twelve,” Brower writes on page 286. There was a report by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services stating “that a total of 439 children had been removed from the YFZ Ranch, and that 274 of them, from 91 families, had been the subjects of abuse and neglect. One in four prepubescent girls was involved in an underage marriage.” (Ibid, 287)

When it comes to freedom for all of his people, there is very little to go around while the micromanaging Jeffs was in charge. He believed that there ought to be specific structure for each and every person. Just a week after his father died in September 2002, the Grinch-like Jeffs made even more stringent rules on his people, as described by Brower on page 115:

“There would be no flying of the American flag, no sports, no organized get-togethers, dancing or holidays; even Christmas was abolished. No one could wear the color red, because Warren claimed that to do so would be to mock Christ, who he predicted would return in red robes. No television, no books other than approved Scripture, no magazines, and no toys. He seemed intent on erasing all of the happiness and joy from life to implement his warped vision of a ‘pure’ society.”

A decade later, imagine reading the following “revelations” from Jesus in Message to All Nations:

Speaking to the people of Afghanistan in Section Revelation 85:19:  “Allow freedom of worship, freedom of speech, guided and proper freedom of press, not persecuted by government powers; freedom to own property wherein government powers are not oppressive in taxation or harsh laws to limit that which could promote happiness among thy people.”

And to Latvia in Section Revelation 94:23-24: “Let there not be oppression or tyranny by those in authority toward thy population. Let there be freedom of worship allowed, that my message of salvation may come to thy peoples and you be blessed of thy God to be a surviving nation through great judgments that will sweep many nations, clean of all wickedness.”

Better for a female to have belonged to the societies of Afghanistan or Latvia than live under Jeffs’ barbaric and tyrannical rule!

The Narcissistic Prophet

According to the medical profession,

“Narcissistic personality disorder is a condition in which people have an excessive sense of self-importance, an extreme preoccupation with themselves, and lack of empathy for others.” The cause for this disorder is unknown. However, “early life experiences, such as particularly insensitive parenting, are thought to play a role in the development of this disorder.” See reference here.

Brower tells an interesting story about Warren, who was a favorite (though spoiled) son of his father Rulon in his early years:

“Even as a child, Warren automatically had a special standing within the fundamentalist community through his powerful father. Some recalled him as a spoiled brat and a tattletale, the golden boy who could do no wrong. Beyond the walls of the family compound, however, the skinny and fragile boy had a difficult time. One of his aunts described for me the day during his first year of middle school when Warren had to go to the bathroom, but was too timid to raise his hand and ask permission. He wet his pants. The telltale wet spot drew the attention of other students, who taunted him unmercifully. Such incidents contributed to his already introverted behavior.

As he grew, Warren was petrified when it came to girls. When some of his brother tried to drag him outside to talk to some girls on a visit to a relative’s ranch, he broke down crying, ran away, and locked himself in the family pickup truck. Although fearful of personal encounters with the opposite sex, young Warren was definitely interested in them, just not in normal, healthy adolescent says. By the age of eight, he already had developed a reputation as a voyeur.

I interviewed a female relative who told me that her household had a special routine they put in motion upon receiving word that Warren would be coming for a visit. All of the girls and women taped newspapers over their windows to prevent him from peeping in, and they stuffed towels beneath their doors because Warren would try to slide a mirror underneath in hopes of catching them in various stages of undress. ‘He was notorious for that stuff, even at that age,’ she told me.” (Prophet’s Prey, 52-53)

According to doctors, a person with narcissistic personality disorder may:

  • Take advantage of other people to achieve his or her own goals
  • Have excessive feelings of self-importance
  • Exaggerate achievements and talents
  • Be preoccupied with fantasies of success, power, beauty, intelligence, or ideal love
  • Have unreasonable expectations of favorable treatment
  • Need constant attention and admiration
  • Disregard the feelings of others, and have little ability to feel empathy
  • Have obsessive self-interest
  • Pursue mainly selfish goals

These characteristics seem to define Warren to a tee. In his mind, the girls he later abused owed him pleasure. The wives he took were meant to be at his beckon call. If he decided to write a book of revelations delivered by Jesus, then by golly, he would deliver. It was no different back at the turn of the century when his father was ailing in his health and Warren used a variety of tactics to wrest control of the power of the organization.

One story taking place before his father died describes how all pets were banned in the FLDS towns in June 2001 after a resident’s dog killed an infant. The townspeople were told to rid their homes of pets; if they did not, they were gathered up and electrocuted by being hooked up to jumper cables attached to car batteries. Brower writes on page 91 of Prophet’s Prey:

“There are no more dogs or cats to be found in short Creek or other Jeffs-run FLDS strongholds to this day. For Warren Jeffs, it was a diabolic test of loyalty: If he could get people to surrender their pets to the executioner, he could continue pushing the envelope and demand even greater sacrifices. The ready-made scapegoat, Mike, was left to shoulder any emotional blame. The ready-made scapegoat, Mike, was left to shoulder any emotional blame. After all, it was his dog and his child that had precipitated the drastic measures. Warren threw him out of the church and nobody cared.”

It should also be pointed out that schizophrenia is a hereditary trait common in Jeffs’ family. On page 103 Brower reports:

“It is well known within the FLDS community that some members of the Steed family, the line from Warren’s mother, had suffered from the disease. It was not uncommon for voices, which Warren would claim were heavenly beings, to interrupt sermons or meetings. It is highly probable that Warren had picked up the family trait. As the boy grew up, he appeared to be constantly teetering on the brink of either genius or insanity. When he became a man of great power, he also became increasingly irrational. Out of this brew of compounded mental illnesses grew a bizarre phenomenon that Warren termed ‘heavenly sessions,’ in which he claimed to commune directly with God, and also with his dead father—sometimes being transformed into a heavenly being himself!”

The number of temper tantrums displayed throughout the 800+ pages of “revelation” seem to reveals an attitude belonging to a 10-year-old who is used to getting his own way than a grown man in his 50’s. When the protagonist doesn’t like how the game is going, he grabs his ball and heads home. Play by his rules or he won’t play at all. Can anyone really believe that Jesus—the very Man who said “forgive your enemies” and “turn the other cheek”—would have dictated the words credited to Him in Message to All Nations?

We’re left to speculate as to whether or not Jeffs really believed that he had the ability to call down fire and brimstone upon any group of people or nations that he dislikes or who wrongs him. Could it be possible that he was so self-absorbed that he really felt he defined the gold standard? Perhaps in his mind he became the very Jesus who made these pronouncements.

When it comes to the anger aimed toward the government and society as a whole for being tried and convicted in court, was there a chance he really thought he would win until the very end? Did he really think that he had what it took to outsmart a female judge and 12 jurors? Only a fool would play his own lawyer; his pride (along with a host of tactical blunders) destroyed his case. One can only imagine his shock when the jury only needed half an hour to convict him.

His change in attitude can be seen after the verdict was rendered. In the months following, the braggadocio can no longer be found. The attitude turns from proclaiming fire and brimstone to begging on the knees. This can be seen in Section Revelation 172:7 (November 16, 2011), which refers to an attempt to overturn the conviction. It politely states, “Your high court is able to reverse completely my servant’s prison sentence of lower court.” However, just two weeks later (November 30, 2011), a defiant attitude seems to prevail, as Section Revelation 173:30 and 36 criticize the judge, Barbara Walther, for her role in imprisoning the FLDS prophet:

“Judge Walther, even the judge who rules against my law in every way of the court powers bestowed on a judge of trial court ability. . . Let all this be witness enough to show unjust Judge Walther erred in continuing rulings.”

According to some observers, Walther was very patient with the FLDS prophet who decided to represent himself legally after he fired his lawyers. The prevailing feeling is that Jeffs felt very uncomfortable trying to play chess with a female judge. At one time, the frustrated Jeffs told the judge that God had sent “a crippling disease” upon her “which shall take her life soon.” Walther walks with a limp because of a bout with polio as a child. As described in one account,

“Early in the trial, when Jeffs fired his attorneys and then asked for a trial delay to prepare himself, Walther countered, ‘Mr. Jeffs, the court is not going to recess these proceedings to let you go to law school.’ Later, during a fire-and-brimstone tirade that the prophet claimed came directly from ‘the Lord Jesus Christ,’ Jeffs said, ‘I shall send a scourge upon the counties of prosecutorial zeal to be humbled by sickness and death,’ Walther warned him not to threaten the jury. He replied, ‘I’m not threatening, only relaying a message,’ to which the judge zinged, ‘Well, don’t relay the message.’” See reference here.

Someone who reads the entire Message to All Nations will know about the time this change takes place after his conviction—I pinpoint it to precisely November 9, 2011 when Section Revelation 123—the shortest “revelation” in the book—says this:

“Come to me, all ye peoples of the earth, saith Jesus Christ, before my overflowing scourge taketh thee in a never-ending death of full power, save ye should repent. I am of the Celestial all-consuming fire cleansing power. Let all beware how they treat my servant Warren Jeffs and my Priesthood and Church, for I shall bring full power to recompense to every person what they have chosen. Amen.”

Whereas his sentences—which certainly were never perfect in structure or grammar before—made general sense and conveyed his message before November 2011, the writing style after this time is more simplified, with many verses being comprised of just one, two, or three words. These later “revelations” appear disjointed and even irrational, so understanding what is being said becomes very difficult without reading it two or three times.

Consider this example written on January 16, 2012:

“Let all be pure, noble, godlike. Let all learn habit of clean way of living, both in mind-thinking, and in earthly habit of cleanly way of living; so my holy power may deliver pure holy peoples from the disease of immoral way being of judgment on a whole generation on earth. Such immoral way diseases depict an immoral-way people. Amen. Forgive all. Be pure to be forgiven of me, your Lord. Let all do only pure holy living way toward all people: fair, just, kind, love-power unto favoring noble holy order of peace among thy people. . . . Only pure people shall remain of bloodline of the original order of inhabitants on Zion land of North, Central, also South America. Be holy. Repent. Receive my Gospel through my own power of authority on earth to be Zion people. Let this sober all.” (Section Revelation 157:41-46, 53-58)

Some of the teachings come out of left field. For instance, on August 1, 2012, Section Revelation 195:17 says that Joseph Smith makes up the third member of the Trinity. It reads, “Joseph Smith, my latter-day Prophet is third member of Godhead over this world under God the Father, and His holy Son of God the Redeemer. Amen.” I am not an expert apologist in FLDS theology, so perhaps this was a teaching of Jeffs before this time. Yet it was never talked about before in Message to All Nations; if nothing else, it just seems strange.

Throughout the 2012 writings, doubt for trusting the government became a theme. For instance, in a “revelation” dated August 21, 2012, a conspiracy theory involving the CIA’s plot to assassinate President Obama is introduced, along with information that President John F.  Kennedy was killed by a CIA agent:

“Let also President of nation learn CIA hath a plan to assassinate him if he causesth any order of disrupting economic order according to power of money order over banking industry. I reveal this happened to President John F. Kennedy, a CIA agent sent by the power that had the control over agency secret murder order; Oswald was pawn.” (196:20-21)

After Obama was reelected in November 2012, Section Revelation 246:22-23 was written, saying, “Investigate CIA also for secret murder of private portion not of reporting to keep their secret as silent. Let a full investigating happen, lest President be target of secret attack by CIA in near future.”

A number of statements come across as desperate pleas. Perhaps Jeffs finally realized that there would be no more sex with his dozens of wives or filet mignon at fancy restaurants. Nor would there be any more strolling down Bourbon Street or watching girlie shows in Las Vegas. In a section titled “Jesus Christ Giveth Own Writing to Supreme Court of Appeals (Comprising Section Revelations 172-174, undated),” the Texas Supreme Court is addressed:

“I, Jesus Christ, even Son Ahman, speak to Supreme Court of Texas, my own will even concerning 51st Judicial District Court Cause Numbers 990, 997, 1017, 1061, and Court of Appeals Court Case Number 03-11-00568-CR, as pertaining to legal prosecution against my servant Warren Jeffs, my own will telling truth to Supreme Court, exhibits of pure truth given; to now be means of use to Supreme Court to use powers of justice to be of freeing my servant Warren Jeffs, being held unjustly, by both intentional evil and lying ways, also by ignorance of this generation not knowing my full truth of religion being of constitutional protection for religious freedom. . . . Let not my servant of pure holy religious practice linger any longer in prison, lest my own power be of full humbling of all who are of the lying way against my Holy Priesthood, a religious authority that should be protected fully by constitutional guarantee of religious freedom; the full way of my servant Warren Jeffs’ conduct being my will.”

An appeal to Congress was also made on August 21, 2012:

“Let also all Senate and House of Representatives be honest labor for freedom, and write to the President to free my son of religious persecuted order for teaching eternity truth. Amen.” (196:23)

In a strange request even for Jeffs, the United Nations is summoned. According to Section Revelation 1:30 (August 2, 2012, Palestine, Texas):

“Let the full United Nations meet to have my servant do full telling who is worthy of God’s preserving when the full God-sending judgment cometh soon. Amen.”

Was there anyone out there who would be willing to help God’s mouthpiece? So far, Jeffs just didn’t seem to find the ear of anyone with authority, which must have added to his certain frustration.

Conclusion: “Ignorance is forever gone when truth cometh forth.” Section Revelation 149:45 (January 9, 2012)

While Jeffs may continue to control his people while he sits behind prison bars, his power is obsolete. While there will always be a faithful few, all indications are that the church continues to shrink. Jeffs certainly must realize that his time—if he still has any—is short. I won’t be surprised if he attempts to do himself harm, something he has attempted to do several times before that caused him to eventually land in the hospital.

As far as writing new revelations, according to the second edition, we can expect more from Jeffs and Jesus according to the last revelation titled “Appendix Revelation” and dated September 20, 2013. After complaining that he was unable to get all of his mail delivered in verse 2 (“Enemy holdest my servant in bondage, not of full freedom to mail all needed correspondence; some letters not of full allowed order to be sent”), he ends the book with verse 3:

“Thus, in soon time cometh more holy word to all people on world. Amen.”

As the quote from Section Revelation 149:45 in the heading above shows, truth matters. When the truth shines, it is light and exposes the darkness. Referring to Jesus, John 1:4-5 says, “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” According to John 8, those who hold to Jesus’ teachings are His disciples. Then, as John 8:32 puts it, “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

The Jesus of the Bible is much different from the Jesus of Warren Jeffs. Instead of increasing his credibility, Message to All Nations proves Jeffs  a false prophet and nothing more than a fraud. Could a better description be given than Matthew 7:15 in the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus said, Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves”?

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