We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.
For the last year-and-a-half or so, I have
been (very slowly) working on a project to take a closer look at the teachings
of Jesus Christ. Instead of rushing over verses, I am stopping at each
verse and attempting to better understand what Christ taught. I
recently finished Matthew 23. (Like I said, I’m moving very slowly –
that’s what happens when you have a baby at home!) Matthew 23 is a
chapter full of Christ’s rebukes against the Scribes and Pharisees for their
hypocrisy and a whole host of other wrongdoings. In the next chapter in
Matthew 24, Christ foretold the destruction to fall upon Jerusalem after
Christ’s death and the signs, destructions, and tragedies to come upon the
world prior to Christ’s Second Coming. At the end of Matthew 23,
immediately after Christ condemned the Scribes and Pharisees for rejecting the
prophets and immediately prior to foretelling the coming destruction, He
lamented:
37 O
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which
are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even
as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
In studying and pondering these
verses, I came across similar verses in the Book of Mormon. In 3 Nephi
10, after the destruction that fell upon the Nephite people at Christ’s death,
the people were left in darkness for three days. As the people sorrowed
over their situation, they heard the voice of the Savior call out to them:
4 O ye
people of these great cities which have fallen, who are descendants of Jacob,
yea, who are of the house of Israel, how oft have I gathered you
as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and have nourished you.
5 And again, how oft would
I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings,
yea, O ye people of the house of Israel, who have fallen; yea, O ye people of
the house of Israel, ye that dwell at Jerusalem, as ye that have fallen; yea,
how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens, and ye would
not.
6 O ye house of Israel whom I
have spared, how oft will I gather you as a hen gathereth her
chickens under her wings, if ye will repent and return unto me with
full purpose of heart.
Three things I learned from my
reading and pondering of these verses in Matthew 23 and 3 Nephi 10:
First, prior to destructive
periods on the earth, Christ gives opportunities for us to gather to Him for
safety. Whereas the verses in Matthew 23 state that the Savior “would
have gathered” His children as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings,
the verses in 3 Nephi 10 state that He not only would have gathered
his children (verse 5), but He has gathered His children
(verse 4) and He will gather his children (verse 6).
Second, the way we gather to Him
is by repenting and turning or returning to Him with full purpose of heart (3
Nephi 10:6). We talk a lot in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints about the gathering of Israel (especially recently—more on that below).
Fundamentally, when we talk about the gathering of Israel, we are talking
about inviting all of God’s children – on both sides of the veil[i] –
to repent and turn to Jesus Christ with full purpose of heart.
Third, I noticed in my reading of
these verses that Christ implies in Matthew 23 that He gathers His children
through His prophets. Here is the verse again, with emphasis added:
37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou
that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent
unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a
hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not.
We would be wise to not treat
lightly the teachings and warnings of ancient and modern prophets.
* * * * *
Russell M. Nelson, the current
president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a living
prophet today, has been talking a lot about the gathering of Israel in his
public speeches since he was sustained as president of the Church in April 2018.
In June, he spoke in
a devotional to the youth of the Church and made an invitation to the
youth to “be a big part of the greatest challenge, the
greatest cause, and the greatest work on earth today”
by helping to gather scattered Israel.
Growing up, I
had a general idea that the gathering of Israel meant the great missionary
efforts the Church undertakes in preparation for the Second Coming of Jesus
Christ. President Nelson explained it as such: “Every prophet commencing
with Adam has seen our day. And every prophet has talked about our day, when
Israel would be gathered and the world would be prepared for the Second Coming
of the Savior. Think of it! Of all the people who have ever lived on planet
earth, we are the ones who get to participate in this final, great gathering
event. How exciting is that!”
President
Nelson further explained:
When we speak
of the gathering, we are simply saying this
fundamental truth: every one of our Heavenly Father’s children, on both sides
of the veil, deserves to hear the message of the restored gospel of Jesus
Christ. They decide for themselves if they want to know more….
He said, “My
sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” Those who are of the
house of Israel will most easily recognize the Lord Jesus Christ as their
Savior and will desire to be gathered into His fold. They will want to become
members of His Church, make covenants with Him and Heavenly Father, and receive
their essential ordinances.
The Lord told
the Prophet Joseph Smith that now, meaning our day, is the eleventh hour and
the last time that He will call laborers into His vineyard for the express
purpose of gathering the elect from the four quarters of the earth.
In the most
recent General Conference of the Church in October, President Nelson addressed
the women of the Church, inviting them to join the effort: “[The
gathering of Israel] is a cause that desperately needs women, because women
shape the future. So tonight I’m extending a prophetic plea to you, the women
of the Church, to shape the future by helping to gather scattered Israel.”
In both addresses, President
Nelson extended specific invitations to act to youth and women to help gather
scattered Israel. To the youth, he invited them to take the following
actions:
1. Hold a seven-day fast from
social media.
2. Make a weekly sacrifice of
time to the Lord for three weeks.
3. Keep on the covenant path.
If you are off, repent and get back on the path.
4. Pray daily that all of God’s
children might receive the blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
5. Stand out. Be different. Be
a light. Give to a friend one copy of the booklet For
the Strength of Youth.
And to the women of the Church,
he invited them to take the following actions:
1. Participate in a 10-day fast
from social media and from any other media that bring negative and impure
thoughts to your mind.
2. Read the Book of Mormon
between now and the end of the year.
3. Establish a pattern of
regular temple attendance.
4. Participate fully in Relief Society.
When I first
heard those invitations, some of them seemed more relevant than others to my
traditional understanding of the gathering of Israel. But as I have
pondered my added insight as to what it means to gather (i.e., inviting
all of God’s children – on both sides of the veil – to “repent and turn to
Jesus Christ with full purpose of heart”), I have gained added understanding as
to how each of these invitations will help with the gathering of Israel.
It strikes me that the gathering begins with the personal conversion and
conviction of each of the members of the Church and emanates outward to bring
others into the safety and peace of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Have you participated in either
of President Nelson’s challenges, in whole or in part? Have you had any
thoughts or insights about your participation in the challenge and the
connection those actions have to the gathering of Israel?
P.S. Lest anyone
think the men of the Church are off the hook – I don’t like to speculate when
it comes to Church matters, but I will go on record now saying that I think the
men of the Church will receive similar invitations to participate in the
gathering of Israel with specific invitations when President Nelson addresses
them in the Priesthood Session of the April 2019 General Conference. I’m
looking forward to it!
[i]
Latter-day Saints
believe that the great missionary work of teaching others about Jesus Christ
will continue in the spirit world after death, thus answering one of the
questions that often perplexes people about religion: “If all people must
accept Jesus Christ and be baptized in order to return to Heavenly Father’s
presence, what about those who never heard of Jesus Christ or did not have
ample opportunity to accept Him?” All people will have the
opportunity, either in this life or in the hereafter, to accept Jesus Christ as
their Savior. More information on this topic can be found here:
https://www.lds.org/topics/baptisms-for-the-dead?lang=eng
