What exactly happened to fulfill the part of the prophecy about the moon turning to blood and the sun turning dark?

Cool.

He said it less than a month after 9/11. And, if I recall, the discourse was about the attack and the coming conflict in the middle east. Looking through that smoke at the moon would make it blood-like; plus, there was a lot of blood shed that day. Could that have been what he was talking about?

That’s how I took it when I heard it.

Jeff, I think you’re right. I like to look at the complete chapter 18 of the book of Revelation, and try to liken that chapter to USA and the 9/11 attacks. In a way, if you stop to ponder it, you have to realize that ancient prophets saw our day, and prophecied about the events just prior to the Second Coming. And since our Church is called the Church of Jesus Christ of LATTER-DAY Saints, you can hardly dismiss President Hinckley’s words right after the 9/11 attacks saying the vision of Joel had been fulfilled. Did Joel see our day in vision? Of course he did. Did he see the events of 9/11 in vision? Perhaps, but if he DIDN’T see the attacks of 9/11 in vision, what other event did he see in vision that President Hinckley would declare them now to be fulfilled?

Then again, perhaps President Hinckley didn’t tell us EXACTLY how the vision had been fulfilled on purpose. The ancient prophets often talked in symbolic and hard to understand language on purpose. That way those who had ears to hear and eyes to see would understand through the Holy Ghost. Perhaps President Hinckley wants us to hear the interpretation of the vision of Joel through the Spirit.

It is very clear that most LDS didn’t listen to President Hinckley’s words that day, or perhaps have just forgotten about them. (I am guilty of this.) Thanks, Connor, for bringing it back to our rememberance. President Hinckley surely said those words for a reason, what are we to understand from them?

People are creative, and tend to see things that they’re thinking of, even in random noise.

Sort of like when you get a certain kind of car, and then suddenly the roads are jammed with that kind of car. Or the way everyone’s having a baby when you’re having a baby. You always hear your name even when no one is calling you, but never anyone else’s. And when you’re reading a lot of scriptures, things in your life seem more likely to relate to them.

Nothing supernatural necessarily; just the way our pattern-matching brains work.

Especially if you’re not fussy about what constitutes a hit.

If you read the first part of Joel chapter 2 it seems fairly clear that those scriptures are talking about a nuclear attack on America. Since the latter part of joel 2 was fullfiled with 9/11, i wonder if the first part of joel is also about to be fulfilled? This interpretation of joel 2 would fit in with other quotes form latter day prophets who saw when America would be “cleansed” and the BOM that says the gentiles on this continent won’t be “utterly” destroyed. Read it and see if you agree:

War and desolation precede the Second Coming—The sun and the moon shall be darkened—The Lord will pour out his Spirit upon all flesh—There will be dreams and visions.

1 Blow ye the atrumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy bmountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the cday of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
2 A day of adarkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.
3 A fire adevoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of bEden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
4 The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.
5 Like the anoise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the bstubble, as a strong people set in battle array.
6 Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather ablackness.
7 They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks:
8 Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.
9 They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief.
10 The aearth shall quake before them; the heavens shall btremble: the csun and the moon shall be ddark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:

[...] have written about President Hinckley’s declaration, see The 100 Hour Board, the comments in Connor’s Conundrums, and Latter-day [...]