Apocolypse claim causes businesses to shut down

COLORADO CITY, AZ (WHDH) -- Stores on the Utah, Arizona border suddenly shut down, not due to bad business, but a scary prophecy from a jailed religious leader.

An eerie sight in two Arizona towns, home to what many people call a cult. The only grocery store, hardware store and even a radio shack suddenly closed down. After jailed F.L.D.S. leader Warren Jeffs, reportedly issued a doomsday prophecy.

“From what I’ve heard there was a prophecy that the lifting up would occur before the end of the year,” said Isaac Wyler.

F.L.D.S. followers believe in a literal, physical lifting up during the apocalypse.

“All the righteous F.L.D.S. people would be lifted up and everybody else would be destroyed,” said Wyler.

According to this private investigator, Jeffs’ warning was read aloud last Sunday to some of his followers.

"If you don't all come clean and confess your sins and wrongs," Jeffs reportedly said, "the lord will send a scourge of death among the people of the united order."

Could the warnings have scared people out of businesses?

"Who knows what they think. Hah. They don't think any more. Hah. Hah,” said Wyler.

Jeffs reportedly said the following:

"If you don't all come clean and confess your sins and wrongs, the Lord will send a scourge of death among the people of the united order."

Jeffs has made end-of-world predictions before, but this time he threatened his followers to prove their righteousness.