“And the time will come that war will be poured out upon all nations, beginning at this place.
For behold, the Southern States shall be divided against the Northern States, and the Southern States will call on other nations, even the nation of Great Britain, as it is called, and they shall also call upon other nations, in order to defend themselves against other nations; and then war shall be poured out upon all nations.”
— Doctrine and Covenants 87:2-31
On December 25, 1832, Joseph Smith received a revelation concerning a future conflict in the United States, now known as the American Civil War. This revelation came at a time when tensions over slavery and states' rights, including South Carolina's refusal of federal tariffs, were escalating. Joseph's prophecy foresaw the war beginning with the rebellion of South Carolina, a state that would eventually try to secede from the Union in 1860, sparking the Civil War.2
The revelation, recorded in what is now known as Doctrine and Covenants 87, detailed that the conflict between the Northern and Southern states would not only involve the United States but would also lead to warfare among "all nations." It predicted that the Southern states would seek assistance from other nations, including Great Britain, and that the war would result in the death and misery of many souls. It also revealed that "slaves shall rise up against their masters."3
