Prophecies, their interpreters and the events connected with them

Rainbow Watch brings together religious texts about returning figures, messianic ages, judgment and the renewal of the world. It includes scripture, recorded visions, later predictions and the commentaries written about them.

Start with the source

The passage is the center of each reading. Its edition and source accompany the text; interpretations sit alongside it, attributed to the people who made them. Different readings of the same passage stay together so you can follow their connections.

The collection includes proposed fulfillments, revised expectations and predictions whose stated dates have passed. A passage can have several proposed fulfillments, each with its own account and evidence.

Why “Rainbow Watch”?

The name comes from Joseph Smith’s discourse of 10 March 1844. In Wilford Woodruff’s account, Smith connected the appearance of a rainbow with a year in which Christ would not return. The Joseph Smith Papers preserves Woodruff’s account and other witnesses to the discourse.

That particular prophecy inspired the name. The collection explores the concepts and texts of each tradition on their own terms.

Explore connections through time

The timeline distinguishes when a prophecy was spoken or written, the time it predicts, a historical event connected with it, and when an interpretation was recorded. Date ranges show approximate dating. Open a point to see its source and follow it back to the passage.

Contribute to the reading

Contributors can propose commentary for moderator review. Published contributions retain their authorship and revision history. Votes record readers’ responses to a particular revision.

To read by subject or tradition, start with Explore. To look for a particular book, author or edition, use the source library.