Gathering Israel -1 Nephi 19:16

1 Nephi 19:16

Gathering Israel

What

 16 Yea, then will he remember the aisles of the sea; yea, and all the people who are of the house of Israel, will I bgather in, saith the Lord, according to the words of the prophet Zenos, from the four quarters of the earth.

Why

they will not turn their hearts away any more so they will receive the blessings of the gospel. They will be gathered from all over the earth wherever they may be.

Pattern

1 Ne. 22:4

4  And behold, there are many who are already lost from the knowledge of those who are at Jerusalem. Yea, the more part of all the tribes have been led away; and they are scattered to and fro upon the isles of the sea; and whither they are none of us knoweth, save that we know that they have been led away.

2 Ne. 10:21

21  But great are the promises of the Lord unto them who are upon the isles of the sea; wherefore as it says isles, there must needs be more than this, and they are inhabited also by our brethren.

Isa. 49:22 (20–22)

20  The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell.
21  Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been?
22  Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.

Isa60:4

Isa. 60:4

4  Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.

Ezek. 36:24

24  For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.

Ps. 107:3

Ps. 107:3

3  And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.

Jer. 3:17

17  At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart.

D&C 45:9

9  And even so I have sent mine everlasting covenant into the world, to be a light to the world, and to be a standard for my people, and for the Gentiles to seek to it, and to be a messengerbefore my face to prepare the way before me.

D&C 77:14

D&C 77:14

14  Q. What are we to understand by the little book which was eaten by John, as mentioned in the 10th chapter of Revelation?A. We are to understand that it was a mission, and an ordinance, for him togather the tribes of Israel; behold, this is Elias, who, as it is written, must come and restoreall things.

Article of Faith 10

10  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 reignpersonally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewedand receive its paradisiacalglory.

Christ

“I will gather in, saith the Lord” He will be the head of the gathering. He is the moving power that is gathering Israel right now. Then He will reign personally upon the earth.

Conference

10/06 Russell M. Nelson

The Gathering of Scattered Israel

We help to gather the elect of the Lord on both sides of the veil.

My beloved brothers and sisters, thank you for your faith, your devotion, and your love. We share an enormous responsibility to be who the Lord wants us to be and to do what He wants us to do. We are part of a great movement—the gathering of scattered Israel. I speak of this doctrine today because of its unique importance in God’s eternal plan.

Abrahamic Covenant

Anciently, the Lord blessed Father Abraham with a promise to make his posterity a chosen people.1 References to this covenant occur throughout the scriptures. Included were promises that the Son of God would come through Abraham’s lineage, that certain lands would be inherited, that nations and kindreds of the earth would be blessed through his seed, and more.2 While some aspects of that covenant have already been fulfilled, the Book of Mormon teaches that this Abrahamic covenant will be fulfilled only in these latter days!3 It also emphasizes that we are among the covenant people of the Lord.4 Ours is the privilege to participate personally in the fulfillment of these promises. What an exciting time to live!

This doctrine of the gathering is one of the important teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Lord has declared: “I give unto you a sign … that I shall gather in, from their long dispersion, my people, O house of Israel, and shall establish again among them my Zion.”17 The coming forth of the Book of Mormon is a sign to the entire world that the Lord has commenced to gather Israel and fulfill covenants He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.18 We not only teach this doctrine, but we participate in it. We do so as we help to gather the elect of the Lord on both sides of the veil.

The Book of Mormon is central to this work. It declares the doctrine of the gathering.19 It causes people to learn about Jesus Christ, to believe His gospel, and to join His Church. In fact, if there were no Book of Mormon, the promised gathering of Israel would not occur.20

To us the honored name of Abraham is important. It is mentioned in more verses of scriptures of the Restoration than in all verses of the Bible.21 Abraham is linked to all members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.22 The Lord reaffirmed the Abrahamic covenant in our day through the Prophet Joseph Smith.23 In the temple we receive our ultimate blessings, as the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.24

Gathering of Souls on the Other Side of the Veil

Mercifully, the invitation to “come unto Christ”34 can also be extended to those who died without a knowledge of the gospel.35 Part of their preparation requires earthly efforts of others. We gather pedigree charts, create family group sheets, and do temple work vicariously to gather individuals unto the Lord and into their families.36To Participate in the Gathering: A Commitment by Covenant

Here on earth, missionary work is crucial to the gathering of Israel. The gospel was to be taken first to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel.”37 Consequently, servants of the Lord have gone forth proclaiming the Restoration. In many nations our missionaries have searched for those of scattered Israel; they have hunted for them “out of the holes of the rocks”; and they have fished for them as in ancient days.38

The choice to come unto Christ is not a matter of physical location; it is a matter of individual commitment. People can be “brought to the knowledge of the Lord”39 without leaving their homelands. True, in the early days of the Church, conversion often meant emigration as well. But now the gathering takes place in each nation. The Lord has decreed the establishment of Zion40 in each realm .

Apply

We can help with the gathering of Israel through missionary work and through family history and temple work. It is important that we do this for the sakes of all those who are lost and for our own souls for in saving others, we are saved.

What a blessing this is to be involved in this great work. On this very day that I write we just hung up the phone from talking to our grandson who is traveling to the MTC this very minute. He will gather Israel here on earth while we are working mostly on gathering it on the other side of the veil through searching out our ancestors and in two days will be holding a special family baptismal session in the temple for about 50 of our ancestors.

Jesus is the Christ, The church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is True and we find great joy in serving Him and our families and others.

Hymns

7-Israel, Israel God Is Calling

327-Go Ye Messengers of Heaven

Children

169-I hope They Call Me On A Mission