Joseph Smith Prophesies Sidney Rigdon to Be Handled by the Devil (c. 1831)
Published March 26, 2026 at 3:50 AM
Contributed by
Todd Morgan
Beaumont, CA, 92223
When Sidney Rigdon falsely taught in Kirtland that the keys of the kingdom had been taken from the Church, Joseph Smith declared publicly: 'No power can pluck those keys from me, except the power that gave them to me; that was Peter, James and John. But for what Sidney has done, the devil shall handle him as one man handles another.' About three weeks later, Sidney was alone in his room when an unseen power lifted him from his bed, threw him across the room, and tossed him from one side to the other until his family rushed in from the adjoining room. Sidney was laid up for five to six weeks. When told of Joseph's prediction beforehand, Sidney himself had responded: 'Is it possible that I have been so deceived? But if Joseph says so, it is so.' The prophecy was precisely and dramatically fulfilled.
In Their Own Words
“I was present at a meeting in Kirtland, when Sidney Rigdon was present. Joseph arose in our midst and spoke in mighty power, saying: 'I can contend with wicked men and devils—yes with angels. No power can pluck those keys from me, except the power that gave them to me; that was Peter, James and John. But for what Sidney has done, the devil shall handle him as one man handles another.' Sidney Rigdon was present and heard this. About three weeks after this, Sidney was lying on his bed alone. An unseen power lifted him from his bed, threw him across the room, and tossed him from one side of the room to the other. The noise being heard in the adjoining room, his family went in to see what was the matter, and found him going from one side of the room to the other, from the effects of which Sidney was laid up for five or six weeks. Thus was Joseph's prediction in regard to him verified.”
— Philo Dibble, 'Recollections of the Prophet Joseph Smith,' The Juvenile Instructor 27 (1892)
Sources & References
Philo Dibble, in Early Scenes in Church History (1882), public-domain full text: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/46783/46783-h/46783-h.htm; Philo Dibble, 'Recollections of the Prophet Joseph Smith,' The Juvenile Instructor 27 (1892), full text at https://doctrineandcovenantscentral.org/history/recollections-of-the-prophet-joseph-smith-the-juvenile-instructor-27-1892/; Sidney Rigdon, Wikipedia (summary): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidney_Rigdon Full first-person account: Philo Dibble, 'Recollections of the Prophet Joseph Smith,' The Juvenile Instructor 27 (1892) https://doctrineandcovenantscentral.org/history/recollections-of-the-prophet-joseph-smith-the-juvenile-instructor-27-1892/ Full first-person account: Philo Dibble, 'Recollections of the Prophet Joseph Smith,' The Juvenile Instructor 27 (1892) https://doctrineandcovenantscentral.org/history/recollections-of-the-prophet-joseph-smith-the-juvenile-instructor-27-1892/
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