Joseph Smith gave false prophecies

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.1 John 4:1

For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.Matthew 24:24

How do we know who false prophets are? We're given a test:

21 "Now if you say to yourselves, 'How can we tell that a message is not from the LORD?' - 22 whenever a prophet speaks in my name and the prediction is not fulfilled, then I have not spoken it; the prophet has presumed to speak it, so you need not fear him."Deuteronomy 18:21-22

As shown below, Smith made many prophecies which were not fulfilled. He clearly fails the Biblical (and logical) test of a prophet.

Jesus would return in 1891

President Smith then stated that the meeting had been called, because God had commanded it; and it was made known to him by vision and by the Holy Spirit. . . . it was the will of God that they should be ordained to the ministry and go forth to prune the vineyard for the last time, for the coming of the Lord, which was nigh - even fifty six years should wind up the scene.History of the Church, Vol. 2, page 182, February 14, 1835

The above prophecy was given on Valentine's Day, 1835. 56 years would place Jesus' return on or before February 14, 1891. Oopsie.

UPDATE: Mormons have responded to this false prophecy. For their response and a refutation, see here.

God would always deliver Smith from his enemies

...for to this day has the God of my fathers delivered me out of them all, and will deliver me from henceforth; for behold, and lo, I shall triumph over all my enemies, for the Lord God hath spoken it.Doctrine and Covenants 127:2

Contrary to his prophecy, Smith's enemies stormed the Illinois jail where he was being held and shot and killed him. Smith died on June 27, 1844, less than two years after he gave this prophecy. The phrase "for the Lord God hath spoekn it" officially qualifies Smiths's statement as a prophecy according to the LDS organization.

Patten would go on a mission

Verily, thus saith the Lord: It is wisdom in my servant David W. Patten, that he settle up all his business as soon as he possibly can, and make a disposition of his merchandise, that he may perform a mission unto me next spring, in company with others, even twelve including himself, to testify of my name and bear glad tidings unto the world.Doctrine and Covenants 114:1

This prophecy was made on April 17, 1838. Patten died in October of the same year, never making the mission trip.

United States government overthrown

I prophecy in the name of the Lord God of Israel, unless the United States redress the wrongs committed upon the Saints in the state of Missouri and punish the crimes committed by her officers that in a few years the government will be utterly overthrown and wasted, and there will not be so much as a potsherd left for their wickedness in permitting the murder of men, women and children, and the wholesale plunder and extermination of thousands of her citizens to go unpunished.History of the Church, Vol. 5, page 394

Smith gave the above prophecy on May 6, 1843. As of the writing of this page, over 164 years have passed. The government has made no redress, yet it still stands.

US congress broken up

While discussing the petition to Congress, I prophesied, by virtue of the holy Priesthood vested in me, and in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that, if Congress will not hear our petition and grant us protection, they shall be broken up as a government, and God shall damn them, and there shall be nothing left of them -- not even a grease spot.Millennial Star, Vol. 22, p. 455 and History of the Church 6:116 (which includes the 'grease spot' part)

The petition was not heard and protection was not granted, but Congress still stands. Attempting to explain this prophecy, History of the Church includes an editorial note: "This prediction doubtless has reference to the party in power; to the 'government' considered as the administration;" (p. 116). This means that the prophecy was referring to the ruling Democratic party. However, the appeal was made to the general government, not the Democratic party (also noted in History of the Church).

Salem ownership and treasure

Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Salem, Massachusetts, August 6, 1836. HC 2: 465–466. At this time the leaders of the Church were heavily in debt due to their labors in the ministry.
1 I, the Lord your God, am anot displeased with your coming this journey, notwithstanding your follies.
2 I have much atreasure in this city for you, for the benefit of Zion, and many people in this city, whom I will gather out in due time for the benefit of Zion, through your instrumentality.
3 Therefore, it is expedient that you should form aacquaintance with men in this city, as you shall be led, and as it shall be given you.
4 And it shall come to pass in due time that I will agive this city into your hands, that you shall have power over it, insomuch that they shall not bdiscover your secret parts; and its wealth pertaining to gold and silver shall be yours.
5 Concern not yourselves about your adebts, for I will give you power to pay them. D&C 111

No treasure has been found, and Salem has never belonged to the Mormons.

Destruction of a wicked US generation

And now I am prepared to say by the authority of Jesus Christ, that not many years shall pass away before the United States shall present such a scene of bloodshed as has not a parallel in the history of our nation; pestilence, hail, famine, and earthquake will sweep the wicked of this generation from off the face of the land, to open and prepare the way for the return of the lost tribes of Israel from the north country. The people of the Lord, those who have complied with the requirements of the new covenant, have already commenced gathering together to Zion, which is in the state of Missouri; therefore I declare unto you the warning which the Lord has commanded to declare unto this generation, remembering that the eyes of my Maker are upon me, and that to him I am accountable for every word I say, wishing nothing worse to my fellow-men than their eternal salvation; therefore, "Fear God, and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment is come." Repent ye, repent ye, and embrace the everlasting covenant and flee to Zion, before the overflowing scourge overtake you, for there are those now living upon the earth whose eyes shall not be closed in death until they see all these things, which I have spoken, fulfilled.History of the Church, Vol. 1, pp. 315-316

Simply put, this never happened.

Temple built in Zion

Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Kirtland, Ohio, September 22 and 23, 1832. HC 1: 286–295.
1 A arevelation of Jesus Christ unto his servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and six elders, as they bunited their hearts and clifted their voices on high.
2 Yea, the word of the Lord concerning his church, established in the last days for the arestoration of his people, as he has spoken by the mouth of his bprophets, and for the cgathering of his dsaints to stand upon eMount Zion, which shall be the city of fNew Jerusalem.
3 Which city shall be abuilt, beginning at the btemple lot, which is appointed by the finger of the Lord, in the western boundaries of the State of Missouri, and cdedicated by the hand of Joseph Smith, Jun., and others with whom the Lord was well pleased.
4 Verily this is the word of the Lord, that the city aNew Jerusalem shall be built by the gathering of the saints, beginning at this place, even the place of the temple, which btemple shall be creared in this dgeneration.
5 For verily this generation shall not all apass away until an bhouse shall be built unto the Lord, and a ccloud shall rest upon it, which cloud shall be even the dglory of the Lord, which shall fill the house. D&C 84

The Mormons had to flee Zion, and no temple was built.

Civil War would engage all nations

Mormons sometimes object to these false prophecies, saying that unless the prophet says, "Thus saith the Lord," the prophecy doesn't count as a prophecy. This is a desperate and pathetic attempt to sidestep the issue, but even so, here is one prophecy that qualifies as a prophecy, even if we grant such an argument:

VERILY, thus saith the Lord, concerning the wars that will shortly come to pass, beginning at the rebellion of South Carolina, which will eventually terminate in the death and misery of many souls. The days will come that war will be poured out upon all nations, beginning at that 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 thus war shall be poured out upon all nations. And it shall come to pass, after many days, slaves shall rise up against their masters, who shall be marshaled and disciplined for war: And it shall come to pass also, that the remnants who are left of the land will marshal themselves, and shall become exceedingly angry, and shall vex the Gentiles with a sore vexation; And thus, with the sword, and by bloodshed, the inhabitants of the earth shall mourn; and with famine, and plague, and earthquakes, and the thunder of heaven, and the fierce and vivid lightning also, shall the inhabitants of the earth be made to feel the wrath, and indignation and chastening hand of an Almighty God, until the consumption decreed, hath made a full end of all nations; That the cry of the Saints, and of the blood of the Saints, shall cease to come up into the ears of the Lord of Sabbaoth, from the earth, to be avenged of their enemies. Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come; for behold it cometh quickly, saith the Lord. Amen.Pearl of Great Price, 1891, p. 55

The above prophecy was given by Joseph Smith on December 25, 1832. The Civil War did not involve all the nations. The following is an indepth refutation:

Since initially posting this article, many concerns have been raised, and some have been swayed by an article written by John Tvedtnes of FAIR, who claims this as an accurate prophecy. Tvedtnes states that this prophecy was fulfilled by the American Civil War. However, while he tries to acknowledge some important historical facts, he fails. Let's look at the facts. On July 14, 1832 (more than five months before the date of Smith's prophecy), Congress passed a tariff act that South Carolina declared null and void. Because tensions were high, President Andrew Jackson put the U.S. army on alert and the United States expected war in 1832! The LDS Evening and Morning Star and many other U.S. newspapers reported that information before Smith's prophecy! So anyone who might have read Joseph Smith's prophecy at that time would not have been enthralled by a prediction of war beginning in South Carolina -- everyone was expecting that. However, things calmed down. Perhaps that's why, even though D. & C. 87 is dated December 25, 1832, it did not appear in the 1833 Book of Commandments or in any edition of the D. & C. or other LDS scripture until after the Civil War began! It was printed in the 1851 Pearl of Great Price in England and in The Seer by Orson Pratt in 1854, but neither of those were considered then as scripture. And in the 1850's, the rumors of war between the North and South were already starting, so that was probably why Pratt published it then. The point is, the prediction of war beginning in South Carolina was something anyone would have made in 1832. Reviving this in the 1850's was reactionary to renewed rumors of civil war. At the time it was given, most people would have read it and said, "Well, duh!"

Addressing verses 2 and 3, it says, "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." Now, the south DID call upon Great Britain for help, but Great Britain did not get involved, nor did they call upon other nations to defend themselves. If one reads this with intellectual honesty as opposed to blind faith, it's easy to see that Joseph Smith establishes the South Carolina rebellion as the causal factor in war being poured out upon all nations. This simply did not happen, and given the wording of the prophecy, it can in no way be construed as something that can still come to pass. This prophecy doesn't say, "and someday down the road, war will be poured out on all nations for reasons other than the South Carolina rebellion," but that's the way Mr. Tvedtnes wants you to interpret it. World War I did not start because of the South Carolina rebellion, and its roots did not begin there. Any effort to link the South Carolina rebellion or the American Civil War with any war that has happened since is simply illogical. D&C 87 was not a divine insight. Rather, it was a false prophecy. When you use the prophecy test listed in Deuteronomy 18:20-22, Joseph Smith fails. He was a false prophet.Ben Rast on August 11, 2003, and updated on August 21, 2005, posted on Contender Ministries

Objections

The Bible has false prophecies, too!

There are a few problems with this oh-so-very common objection:

1. This objection is simply untrue. The only prophecies in Scripture which have not been fulfilled yet are those regarding the end times. If you believe you have uncovered a false prophecy in the Bible, please let me know.
2. It is essentially an admission that Smith did, indeed, give false prophecies. Granted, the only way to deny Smith's false prophecies is to bury your head in the sand.
3. Even if it were true, this would not serve to save Mormonism, but only to condemn Christianity along with it. Saying, "You, too!" doesn't make Mormonism any less guilty.

Those weren't official prophecies!

This objection states that, unless Smith said "Thus saith the Lord," then what he was speaking wasn't an official prophecy.

1. Smith's intentions in speaking these prophecies is clear, whether or not he branded them with an arbitrary phrase or not.
2. The words of God's true prophets (as recorded in the Bible) were not formalized with such a phrase, yet they came true.
3. Two of the prophecies listed on this page are "true" Mormon prophecies: Smith's prophecy that delivered from his enemies, and his prophecy that the Civil War would involve every nation.

Some of Smith's prophecies were fulfilled

1. Deuteronomy 13 admits that it is possible that a false prophet could say something that could be fulfilled in the future. This is only logical. Deuteronomy 13 also warns that if a supposed prophet, even after giving a prophecy that is fulfilled, leads you away from the true God, you should not follow him. Smith, even if he ever got something right, clearly fits into this category.
2. Getting one thing right does prove you're a prophet, but getting one thing wrong proves you're not (Deuteronomy 18:21-22). Besides, many people throughout history gave one or two prophecies that came true. Does that make them true prophets of God? Of course not.