The House of Israel Are God's Covenant People
Jacob was a great prophet who lived hundreds of years before the time
of Christ. Because Jacob was faithful, the Lord gave him the special
name of Israel, which means "a prince of God" (see Genesis
32:28)
Jacob was a grandson of Abraham. The Lord made an everlasting covenant
with Abraham that was renewed with Issac and with Jacob and his children (see
Deuteronomy 32:7-9; see also chapter 15, "The Lord's Covenant
People" of this book; see also the visual in this chapter, depicting Jacob blessing
his sons). 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).
Discussion
The House of Israel Was Scattered
Despite this warning, Gradually the Israelites consistently
began to break broke the commandments of God.
About 100 one hundred years after the capture of the Northern Kingdom, the
Southern Kingdom was conquered. The capital city of Jerusalem was
destroyed in 586 B.C., and many members of the remaining two tribes of Israel were taken
captive. Later, some of the members of these tribes returned and rebuilt
Jerusalem. Just before Jerusalem was destroyed, Lehi and his family, who
were members of the house of Israel, left
the city and settled in the Americas. The Lamanites are descendants of
Lehi's people.
Discussion
The House of Israel Must Be Gathered
The Lord has some important reasons for gathering the Israelites. The
people of Israel need to learn the teachings of the gospel and prepare
themselves to meet the Savior when he comes again. The Israelites have
the responsibility of building temples and performing sacred ordinances
for ancestors who died without having this opportunity. The covenant
people of God must take the gospel to all nations. They must fulfill the
covenant to be a blessing to all the world.
God gathers His children through missionary work. As people come to a
knowledge of Jesus Christ, receiving the ordinances of salvation and
keeping the associated covenants, they become "the children of the
covenant" (3 Nephi 20:26). He has important reasons for gathering
His children. He gathers them so they can learn the teachings of the
gospel and prepare themselves to meet the Savior when He comes. He
gathers them so they will build temples and perform sacred ordinances
for ancestors who have died without having this opportunity: He gathers
them so they can strengthen one another and be unified in the gospel,
finding protection from unrighteous influences in the world. He also
gathers them so they can prepare themselves to share the gospel with
others.
The power and authority to direct the work of gathering the house of
Israel was given to Joseph Smith by the prophet Moses, who appeared in
1836 in the Kirtland Temple (see D&C 110:11). Since that time, each
prophet has held the keys for the gathering of the house of Israel, and
this gathering has been an important part of the Church's work. The covenant
people are house of Israel is now being gathered as they accept the restored gospel
and serve the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (see Deuteronomy 30:1-5).
Discussion
How Will the House of Israel Be Gathered?
The Israelites are to be gathered spiritually first and then
physically. They are gathered spiritually as when they join The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and make and keep
sacred covenants.
President Joseph Fielding Smith said: "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 have 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 of Israel means that the
covenant people Israelites will be
"gathered home to the lands of their inheritance, and shall be
established in all their lands of promise" (see 2 Nephi 9:2). The
tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh will be gathered in the to the land of
Americas.
The tribe of Judah will return to the city of Jerusalem and the area
surrounding it. The ten lost tribes will receive from the tribe of
Ephraim their promised blessings (see D&C 133:26-345).
When the Church was first established, the Saints were instructed to
gather in Ohio, then Missouri, and then the Salt Lake Valley. Today,
however, modern prophets have taught that Church members are to build up
the kingdom of God in their own lands. Elder Russell M. Nelson
Bruce R. McConkie said:
"Every stake on earth is the gathering place for the lost sheep of
Israel who live in its area. "The gathering place for Peruvians is in the stakes of Zion in
Peru, or in the places which soon will become stakes. The gathering
place for Chileans is in Chile; for Bolivians it is in Bolivia; for
Koreans it is in Korea; and so it goes through all the length and
breadth of the earth. Scattered Israel in every nation is called to
gather to the fold of Christ, to the stakes of Zion, as such are
established in their nations" ("Come: Let Israel Build
Zion," Ensign, May 1977, p. 118). "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 emigrations as well.
but now the gathering takes place in each nation ... The place of
gathering for Brazilian Saints is Brazil; the place of gathering for
Nigerian Saints is Nigeria; the place of gathering for Korean Saints is
in Korea; and so forth. Zion is 'the pure in heart.' [D&C 97:21.]
Zion is wherever righteous Saints are" (in Conference Report, Oct.
2006, 85; or Ensign, Nov. 2006, 81).
Discussion
Additional Scriptures