Gathering of Israel

                    Israel, the Jewish State, is much in the news.  The Muslim/Arab nations that surround Israel want to run all the Jews into the Mediterranean Sea and completely destroy Israel.  The scriptures teach that Israelites are favored of God and will be gathered in the latter-days.  In light of the increasing amount of anti-Semitism or anti-Zionism taking place in the world, we all must understand the consequences of where we choose to stand and who we choose to support.

                    Jacob was a great prophet who lived hundreds of years before the time of Christ.  Jacob was so faithful in keeping the commandments of God that Heavenly Father gave him the special name of Israel.  Jacob was the father of twelve sons, and these sons along with their families became known as the twelve tribes of Israel, or Israelites (see Genesis 49:28).

The Bible Dictionary tells us that the name Israel means “one who prevails with God” or “let God prevail.”  "This name was given to Jacob at Penuel (Genesis 32:28) and at Bethel (Genesis 35:10).  It [the name Israel] also applies to [Jacob's] descendants and to their kingdom (2 Samuel 1:24; 23:3).  After the division of the kingdom, the northern tribes, as the larger part, retained the name Israel, while the southern kingdom was called Judah.  The land of Canaan is also called Israel today.  And in another sense Israel means the true believer in Christ, as explained by Paul (Romans 10:1; 11:7; Galatians 6:16; Ephesians 2:12).  The name Israel is therefore variously used to denote (1) the man Jacob, (2) the literal descendants of Jacob, and (3) the true believers in Christ, regardless of their lineage or geographical location."  (See Bible Dictionary, p. 708.) 

 

                    Abraham, the grandfather of Jacob, was so righteous that God made an everlasting covenant with him, and this covenant was renewed with Isaac, with Jacob, and with the posterity of Jacob.   God promised the Israelites that they would be His covenant people for as long as they would keep His commandments (see Deuteronomy 28:9-10).  God also told them that they would be a blessing to all the nations of the world by taking the gospel and the priesthood to them (see Abraham 2:9-11).  Through taking the blessings of the gospel and the priesthood to the world, the Israelites would keep their covenants with Heavenly Father, and He would keep His covenant with them.

                    Prophets counseled the Israelites to keep their part of the covenant and warned time after time what would happen if they were wicked.  Moses told them, “And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other” (Deuteronomy 28:64).  For some reason, the Israelites could not keep the commandments of God.  They fought among themselves and eventually split into two kingdoms.  The Northern Kingdom was called the kingdom of Israel, and the Southern Kingdom was called the kingdom of Judah. 

The Northern Kingdom consisted of ten of the twelve tribes of Israel.  The Northern Kingdom was conquered by enemies and taken into captivity, but some of them later escaped into the lands of the north to become lost to the rest of the world.  Thus, they are known as the Lost Tribes. 

The Southern Kingdom survived for another 100 years before they were also conquered.  Many members of the remaining two tribes were taken into captivity when the city of Jerusalem was destroyed in 587 B.C.  Some members of these two tribes were later able to return and rebuild Jerusalem.  Lehi and his family, who were of the house of Israel, left Jerusalem just before it was destroyed and then settled on the American continents. 

Jerusalem was destroyed once again after the time of Jesus Christ, and the Jews were scattered over much of the world.  Jews are found in all nations today, but some of them do not even know that they are descendents of the house of Israel.

The Lord promised to gather His covenant people some day:  “I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them” (Jeremiah 23:3).

God explained that the gathering of the house of Israel would take place through missionary work.  When people are taught the gospel of Jesus Christ, receive the ordinances of salvation, and keep the associated covenants, they become “children of the covenant” (3 Nephi 20:26).  God gathers His children for a number of important reasons.  One reason for the gathering is so they can learn the teachings of the gospel and be prepared to meet Jesus Christ when He returns to earth.  Another reason why God gathers His children is so they can build temples where they perform the sacred temple ordinances for ancestors who died without that blessing.  God also gathers His children in order that they can strengthen each other, find protection from the wicked influences of the world, and become unified in the gospel.  Another reason why God gathers His children is so they can learn to share the gospel with other people.

Moses, under direction from God, bestowed the power and authority to direct the gathering of the house of Israel to Joseph Smith when he appeared in the Kirtland Temple in 1836 (see Doctrine and Covenants 110:11).  Each prophet in succession has held the keys for the gathering of the house of Israel.  This gathering is an important part of the work performed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  God is currently gathering His covenant people as they accept the restored gospel and serve the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (see Deuteronomy 30:1-5).

The Israelites will be gathered spiritually before they are gathered physically.  They are gathered spiritually when they join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and make and keep sacred covenants.  This spiritual gathering started during the time of the Prophet Joseph Smith and continues all over the world today.  Converts to the Church are Israelites either by blood or by adoption, and they belong to the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (see Abraham 2:9-11; Galatians 3:26-29).

President Joseph Fielding Smith stated, “There are many nations represented in the … Church.  … They have come because the Spirit of the Lord rested upon them; … receiving the spirit of gathering, they left everything for the sake of the gospel” (Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols. [1954-56], 3:256; italics in original).

The physical gathering takes place when the covenant people are “gathered home to the lands of their inheritance, and shall be established in all their lands of promise” (2 Nephi 9:2).  The tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh will receive the Americas as their inheritance and be gathered there.  The tribe of Judah will return to the city of Jerusalem and the area surrounding it.  The ten lost tribes will receive their promised blessings from the tribe of Ephraim (see Doctrine and Covenants 133:26-34).

In the early days of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, converts were instructed to gather to where the Church was located – first in Ohio, then Missouri, and then the Salt Lake Valley.  Prophets today tell Church members to build up the kingdom of God in their own lands.  Elder Russell M. Nelson stated:  “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’ [3 Nephi 20:13] 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 place of gathering for Brazilian Saints is in Brazil; the place of gathering for Nigerian Saints is in Nigeria; the place of gathering for Korean Saints is in Korea; and so forth.  Zion is `the pure in heart.’ [Doctrine and Covenants 97:21.]  Zion is wherever righteous Saints are” (Ensign, Nov. 2006, 81).

The physical gathering of the house of Israel will continue until the Second Coming of the Savior and on into the Millennium (see Joseph Smith – Matthew 1:37).  At that time the Lord’s promise will be fulfilled: 

“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;

“But, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them:  and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers” (Jeremiah 16:14-15).

I am blessed to be a part of the gathering of the house of Israel.  I look forward with excitement to see how the Lord orchestrates the gathering of His covenant people.

Sacrament

The Savior introduced the sacrament on His last evening as He gathered His Apostles around Him in an upstairs room. He knew that He would soon die and that this was the last time He would meet with the Apostles whom He dearly loved. He gave them the holy priesthood ordinance to help them remember His great atoning sacrifice and keep His commandments. After His Resurrection, Jesus Christ came to the people who lived on the American continent and taught them the same ordinance. When the Church of Jesus Christ was restored in the latter days, Christ once again commanded His people to partake of the sacrament in remembrance of Him.

Christ wants His people to meet together often to partake of the sacrament and renew sacred covenants. The broken bread and water represent His flesh and blood, which He sacrificed for the good of all mankind. The scriptures contain instructions for the administration of the sacrament. It is administered by those who hold the necessary priesthood authority. A priest or a holder of the Melchizedek Priesthood breaks bread into pieces, kneels, and blesses it (see D0ctrine and Covenants 20:76). A deacon or other priesthood holder then passes the sacramental bread to the congregation. A priest or Melchizedek Priesthood holder then blesses the water, which is also passed to the congregation. When Jesus Christ instituted the sacrament, He used bread and wine, but He said in latter-day revelation that it really doesn't matter what we eat and drink during the sacrament as long as we do it in remembrance of Him (see Doctrine and Covenants 27:2-3). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints uses water instead of wine - a practice for which I am very grateful when dealing with children.

Jesus Christ revealed the exact words for the prayers on the sacrament, both of which are very beautiful. We should listen carefully to them and strive to understand the promises we make as well as what is promised to us. The following prayer is offered on the bread: "O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it, that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given them; that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen" (Doctrine and Covenants 20:77).

The prayer on the water is as follows: "O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this wine [water] to the souls of all those who drink of it, that they may do it in remembrance of the blood of thy Son, which was shed for them; that they may witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they do always remember him, that they may have his Spirit to be with them. Amen" (Doctrine and Covenants 20:79).

The sacrament ordinance is performed in a simple and reverent manner. Each time we participate in this ordinance, we renew covenants with God. These covenants are clearly stated in the prayers on the bread and water. Since a covenant is a sacred promise between God and His children, it is important for us to know what the covenants are as well as what they mean.
When we covenant to be willing to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, it shows that we are willing to be identified with Christ and His Church. We also make a commitment to serve Christ and our fellowman and to bring honor to His name. When we covenant to always remember Jesus Christ, we commit ourselves to make sure that all our thoughts, feelings, words, and actions will be influenced by Christ and His mission. When we promise to keep His commandments, we commit to keep all of them instead of choosing which ones we will obey.

We take these obligations upon ourselves when we are baptized (see Doctrine and Covenants 20:37; Mosiah 18:6-10), and we renew our baptismal covenants each time we partake of the sacrament. The pattern for partaking of the sacrament was given by Jesus Christ (3 Nephi 18:1-2). When we follow this pattern of repenting of our sins and believing in His name, we gain a remission of our sins (see Joseph Smith Translation, Matthew 26:24).

God's part of the covenant promises that if we keep our covenants, we will have His Spirit with us always. The Spirit brings knowledge, faith, power, and righteousness enough to gain eternal life.

Because the sacrament is such a sacred ordinance, we should prepare ourselves spiritually prior to the experience. In fact, the Lord has commanded that no one should partake of the sacrament without being worthy of doing so. This means that we should repent of our sins before we take the sacrament. During the sacrament service, we should be prayerful and reverent, keeping our minds off worldly things. This is a good opportunity to examine our lives and look for ways to improve and to become more committed to keeping the commandments.

Perfection is not required in order to partake of the sacrament, but a spirit of repentance should be in our hearts. Partaking of the sacrament with a pure heart brings the promised blessings from God. Worthily partaking of the sacrament increases our spiritual strength because it helps us to grow closer to God. I am grateful for the opportunity to renew my covenants on a weekly basis. I like the idea of starting each week with a clean slate.

God's Covenant People

God covenanted with Adam and Eve, and He has extended those covenants with their children. When people make covenants with God, they know exactly what God requires of them as well as the blessings they can expect from Him. Individuals and groups who make and keep covenants with God are known as His covenant people.

Within the gospel of Jesus Christ, a covenant is a promise or a sacred agreement between God and a person or a group of people. The terms of any covenant with God are set by God and revealed to his prophets. God sets forth the commandment and names the blessing that is promised for obedience to that commandment. We either decide to obey the terms of the covenant and receive the blessing or to reject the covenant with its blessing and sometimes to receive a penalty for disobedience.

Abraham was a very righteous man who became a great Old Testament prophet. He recognized that worshipping idols as his father did was wrong. He refused to follow his father's example and kept the commandments of God. Then God made a covenant with Abraham and his descendants because Abraham was so righteous.

The covenant that God made with Abraham is known as the Abrahamic covenant. God promised to give Abraham numberless descendants. He promised that all these descendants would be entitled to receive the gospel, the priesthood blessings and all the ordinances necessary for exaltation. The descendants would in turn use the power of the priesthood to take the gospel to all nations. In this way, God would bless all the families of the earth through the descendants of Abraham. God promised that He would renew His covenant with all the generations of Abraham's posterity if they were righteous.

There are two different groups of people who are included in the covenant between God and Abraham. The first group includes all of Abraham's righteous blood descendants. The second group includes all those who are adopted into Abraham's family by accepting and living the gospel of Jesus Christ. God told Abraham, "As many as receive this Gospel shall be called after thy name, and shall be accounted thy seed [lineage], and shall rise up and bless thee, as their father" (Abraham 2:10). (See also 2 Nephi 30:2.)

People who are baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints enter into the covenant that God made with Abraham and renewed with Isaac and Jacob (see Galatians 3:26-29). If they are obedient, they inherit all the blessings of that covenant. Being part of the covenant people of the Lord brings many blessings as well as responsibilities. The blessings include the right to be guided by the Holy Ghost, the right for males to hold the priesthood, and the right for families to receive the blessings of the priesthood. The greatest blessing of all is to gain eternal life in the celestial kingdom.

The Lord's covenant people have the great responsibility to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to all the inhabitants of the earth. The Church is fulfilling this responsibility by sending full-time missionaries out into the world as well as by the missionary work done by members. Taking the gospel to the world is an opportunity which belongs only to the Lord's Church and His covenant people.

The Lord requires His covenant people to keep the covenant by keeping His commandments. He said, "I, the Lord, am bound when ye do as I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise" (Doctrine and Covenants 82:10). Without righteousness, the covenant becomes void.

The fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ is called the new and everlasting covenant and includes covenants made at baptism, during the sacrament, in the temple, and at any other time. This covenant is everlasting because God is everlasting and because the covenant will never change. God made the same covenant with Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and other prophets. It isn't a new covenant, but each time the gospel is restored to the earth, it is new to the people who receive it. (See Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 37:26.)

Any person who accepts the new and everlasting covenant also agrees to repent, be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, receive temple endowments, receive the covenant of temple marriage, obey the commandments, and follow Christ to the end of their life. In return for a righteous life, Heavenly Father promises exaltation in the celestial kingdom. (See Doctrine and Covenants 132:20-24.)

Heavenly Father loves all of His children and desires to bless all of them. He gave commandments for the benefit of His children. His faithful sons and daughters will forever share the blessings and beauties of both earth and heaven.

Gathering the House of Israel

Jacob was a great prophet who lived hundreds of years before the time of Christ. Jacob was so faithful in keeping the commandments of God that Heavenly Father gave him the special name of Israel. The name Israel means “one who prevails with God” or “let God prevail” (Bible Dictionary, “Israel,” 708). Jacob was the father of twelve sons, and these sons along with their families became known as the twelve tribes of Israel, or Israelites (see Genesis 49:28).

Abraham, the grandfather of Jacob, was so righteous that God made an everlasting covenant with him, and this covenant was renewed with Isaac and with Joseph and his children. God promised the Israelites that they would be His covenant people for as long as they would keep His commandments (see Deuteronomy 28:9-10). God also told them that they would be a blessing to all the nations of the world by taking the gospel and the priesthood to them (see Abraham 2:9-11). Through taking the blessings of the gospel and the priesthood to the world, the Israelites would keep their covenants with Heavenly Father, and He would keep His covenant with them.

Prophets counseled the Israelites to keep their part of the covenant and warned time after time what would happen if they were wicked. Moses told them, “And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other” (Deuteronomy 28:64). For some reason, the Israelites could not keep the commandments of God. They fought among themselves and eventually split into two kingdoms. The Northern Kingdom was called the kingdom of Israel, and the Southern Kingdom was called the kingdom of Judah.

The Northern Kingdom consisted of ten of the twelve tribes of Israel. The Northern Kingdom was conquered by enemies and taken into captivity, but some of them later escaped into the lands of the north to become lost to the rest of the world.

The Southern Kingdom survived for another 100 years before they were also conquered. Many members of the remaining two tribes were taken into captivity when the city of Jerusalem was destroyed in 587 B.C. Some members of these two tribes were later able to return and rebuild Jerusalem. Lehi and his family, who were of the house of Israel, left Jerusalem just before it was destroyed and then settled on the American continents.

Jerusalem was destroyed once again after the time of Jesus Christ, and the Jews were scattered over much of the world. Jews are found in all nations today, but some of them do not even know that they are descendants of the house of Israel.

The Lord promised to gather His covenant people some day: “I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them” (Jeremiah 23:3).

God explained that the gathering of the house of Israel would take place through missionary work. When people are taught the gospel of Jesus Christ, receive the ordinances of salvation, and keep the associated covenants, they become “children of the covenant” (3 Nephi 20:26). God gathers His children for a number of important reasons. One reason for the gathering is so they can learn the teachings of the gospel and be prepared to meet Jesus Christ when He returns to earth. Another reason why God gathers His children is so they can build temples where they can perform the sacred temple ordinances for ancestors who died without that opportunity. God also gathers His children in order that they can strengthen each other, find protection from the wicked influences of the world, and become unified in the gospel. Another reason why God gathers His children is so they can learn to share the gospel with other people.

Moses, under direction from God, bestowed the power and authority to direct the gathering of the house of Israel upon Joseph Smith when he appeared in the Kirtland Temple in 1836 (see Doctrine and Covenants 110:11). Each prophet in succession has held the keys for the gathering of the house of Israel. This gathering is an important part of the work performed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. God is currently gathering His covenant people as they accept the restored gospel and serve the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (see Deuteronomy 30:1-5).

The Israelites will be gathered spiritually before they are gathered physically. They are gathered spiritually when they join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and make and keep sacred covenants. This spiritual gathering started during the time of the Prophet Joseph Smith and continues all over the world today. Converts to the Church are Israelites by either blood or adoption, and they belong to the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (see Abraham 2:9-11; Galatians 3:26-29).

President Joseph Fielding Smith stated, “There are many nations represented in the … Church. … They have come because the Spirit of the Lord rested upon them; … receiving the spirit of gathering, they left everything for the sake of the gospel” (Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols. [1954-56], 3:256; italics in original).

The physical gathering takes place when the covenant people are “gathered home to the lands of their inheritance, and shall be established in all their lands of promise” (2 Nephi 9:2). The tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh will receive the Americas as their inheritance and be gathered there. The tribe of Judah will return to the city of Jerusalem and the area surrounding it. The ten lost tribes will receive their promised blessings from the tribe of Ephraim (see Doctrine and Covenants 133:26-34).

In the early days of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, converts were instructed to gather to where the Church was located – first in Ohio, then Missouri, and then the Salt Lake Valley. Prophets today tell Church members to build up the kingdom of God in their own lands. Elder Russell M. Nelson stated: “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’ [3 Nephi 20:13] 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 place of gathering for Brazilian Saints is in Brazil; the place of gathering for Nigerian Saints is in Nigeria; the place of gathering for Korean Saints is in Korea; and so forth. Zion is `the pure in heart.’ [Doctrine and Covenants 97:21.] Zion is wherever righteous Saints are” (Ensign, Nov. 2006, 81).

The physical gathering of the house of Israel will continue until the Second Coming of the Savior and on into the Millennium (see Joseph Smith – Matthew 1:37). At that time the Lord’s promise will be fulfilled: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
“But, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers” (Jeremiah 16:14-15).

I am blessed to be a part of the gathering of the house of Israel. I look forward with excitement to see how the Lord orchestrates the gathering of His covenant people.

Covenant People

God has made covenants with His children from the time of Adam and Eve. When people make covenants with God, they know exactly what God requires of them as well as the blessings they can expect from Him. Individuals and groups who make and keep covenants with God are known as His covenant people. Within the gospel of Jesus Christ, a covenant is a promise or a sacred agreement between God and a person or a group of people. The terms of any covenant with God are set by God and revealed to his prophets. God sets forth the commandment and names the blessing that is promised for obedience to that commandment. We either decide to obey the terms of the covenant and receive the blessing or to reject the covenant with its blessing and sometimes to receive a penalty for disobedience. Abraham was a very righteous man who became a great Old Testament prophet. He recognized that worshipping idols as his father did was wrong. He refused to follow his father's example and kept the commandments of God. Then God made a covenant with Abraham and his descendants because Abraham was so righteous. The covenant that God made with Abraham is known as the Abrahamic covenant. God promised to give Abraham numberless descendants. He promised that all these descendants would be entitled to receive the gospel, the priesthood blessings and all the ordinances necessary for exaltation. The descendants would in turn use the power of the priesthood to take the gospel to all nations. In this way, God would bless all the families of the earth through the descendants of Abraham. God promised that He would renew His covenant with all the generations of Abraham's posterity if they were righteous. There are two different groups of people who are included in the covenant between God and Abraham. The first group includes all of Abraham's righteous blood descendants. The second group includes all those who are adopted into Abraham's family by accepting and living the gospel of Jesus Christ. God told Abraham, "As many as receive this Gospel shall be called after thy name, and shall be accounted thy seed [lineage], and shall rise up and bless thee, as their father" (Abraham 2:10). (See also 2 Nephi 30:2.) People who are baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints enter into the covenant that God made with Abraham and renewed with Isaac and Jacob (see Galatians 3:26-29). If they are obedient, they inherit all the blessings of that covenant. Being part of the covenant people of the Lord brings many blessings as well as responsibilities. The blessings include the right to be guided by the Holy Ghost, the right for males to hold the priesthood, and the right for families to receive the blessings of the priesthood. The greatest blessing of all is to gain eternal life in the celestial kingdom. The Lord's covenant people have the great responsibility to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to all the inhabitants of the earth. The Church is fulfilling this responsibility by sending full-time missionaries out into the world as well as by the missionary work done by members. Taking the gospel to the world is an opportunity which belongs only to the Lord's Church and His covenant people. The Lord requires His covenant people to keep the covenant by keeping His commandments. He said, "I, the Lord, am bound when ye do as I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise" (Doctrine and Covenants 82:10). Without righteousness, the covenant becomes void. The fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ is called the new and everlasting covenant and includes covenants made at baptism, during the sacrament, in the temple, and at any other time. This covenant is everlasting because God is everlasting and because the covenant will never change. God made the same covenant with Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and other prophets. It isn't a new covenant, but each time the gospel is restored to the earth, it is new to the people who receive it. (See Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 37:26.) Any person who accepts the new and everlasting covenant also agrees to repent, be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, receive temple endowments, receive the covenant of temple marriage, obey the commandments, and follow Christ to the end of their life. In return for a righteous life, Heavenly Father promises exaltation in the celestial kingdom. (See Doctrine and Covenants 132:20-24.) Heavenly Father loves all of His children and desires to bless all of them. He gave commandments for the benefit of His children. His faithful sons and daughters will forever share the blessings and beauties of both earth and heaven.