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Prophecies

William W. Player's Defiance of Sidney Rigdon's False Prophecy

Published October 5, 2026 at 2:01 AM

1840s · 1844
Nauvoo
Sidney Rigdon·William W. Player·A. Archibald·John Hill

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Millennial Star Research

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Sidney Rigdon prophesied that not another stone would be raised on the walls of the Nauvoo Temple. Brother William W. Player, who was present, decided to prove this wrong. He immediately took two men, A. Archibald and John Hill, and raised and set a stone upon the building, thereby falsifying Rigdon's prophecy.

Fuller account of this event (the complete account as preserved in The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 34, No. 14, 2 April 1872, p. 218):

Sidney Rigdon had prophesied that not another stone should be laid upon the Temple. Brother William W. Player, who was present, said he would prove the prophecy false. He immediately took two men, A. Archibald and John Hill, and raised and set a stone upon the building, thus falsifying the prophecy.

In Their Own Words

“Among other things which he predicted was during his lifetime there should not be another stone raised upon the walls of the Temple. He said this in a meeting at which brother Wm. W. Player was present. Brother Player determined that the prediction should fail, so he took with him A. Archibald and John Hill, while returning from the meeting, and raised and set a stone upon the building. In so short a time was it proved that Sidney Rigdon was a false prophet! — Millennial Star 34:14”

Sources & References

The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 2 April 1872 (Vol. 34, No. 14). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1872-04-02_34_14 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Complete account: The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 34, No. 14, 2 April 1872, p. 218 https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1872-04-02_34_14

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Filed under

Prophecies1840sUnited StatesNauvoo, Illinois Miracles

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Questions about this account

Who was involved in this account?
The account involves Sidney Rigdon, William W. Player, A. Archibald, John Hill. Each person named here also has a witness page collecting the other accounts involving them.
When did this account take place?
The account is set in 1844, in the 1840s.
Where did this account take place?
It took place in Nauvoo.
What kind of miracle is this?
It is filed as a Prophecies account reported in United States.
Where does this account come from?
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 2 April 1872 (Vol. The full source citation appears in the Sources section below, with links to the original where available.

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