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THIS ESSAY IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION
(I am far from finished. I am adding, correcting, and editing material all the time. I still have many pictures to add. When I have completed my work I will remove this red preface. Please forgive any lack of correct and complete referencing. I will eventually get to all of this as everything slowly comes together.)
To the reader:
This essay is written with the intent of introducing and explaining all the doctrines, concepts, and opinions associated with the scattering and gathering of the house of Israel. The material is presented as if already ascertained by the reader, both on a beginning and intermediate basis. It is a collection of thoughts and discoveries that are of interest to myself only; and is written solely on that behalf. It started out as notes that I had organized when I was asked to teach the subject and then eventually expanded into my mind on paper. According to the priority and manner of how the subject matter is presented, I satisfy myself first. If applicable, it may be considered an adequate presentation of ideology and understanding. This is a topic that has fascinated me for years and many times has been the primary means of taking the scriptures to new and exciting levels. It is written from the background of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but has no verification from, nor is in any way associated with the Church. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I believe, has more doctrine, more principles, and more to tell on this subject than any other organization on earth. For this reason I find it most appropriate to tell this story from this position. If the reader has any interest in this essay, I ask you to keep this in mind. Thank you.
Jon True
_______________________________________
THE SCATTERINGS AND GATHERINGS OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL
If there is anything calculated to interest the minds of the Saints,
to awaken in them the finest sensibilities, and arouse them to
enterprise and exertion, surely it is the great and precious
promises made by our heavenly Father to the children of
Abraham; and those engaged in seeking the outcasts of Israel,
and the dispersed of Judah, cannot fail to enjoy the Spirit of the
Lord and have the choicest blessings of Heaven rest upon them
in copious effusions. Brethren, you are in the pathway to eternal
flame, and immortal glory; and inasmuch as you feel interested
for the covenant people of the Lord, the God of their fathers
shall bless you. Do not be discouraged on account of the
greatness of the work; only be humble and faithful. . . He who
scattered Israel has promised to gather them; therefore inasmuch
as you are to be instrumental in this great work, He will endow
you with power, wisdom, might, and intelligence, and every
qualification necessary; while your minds will expand wider
and wider, until you can circumscribe the earth and the heavens,
reach forth into eternity, and contemplate the mighty acts of
Jehovah in all their variety and glory.
to awaken in them the finest sensibilities, and arouse them to
enterprise and exertion, surely it is the great and precious
promises made by our heavenly Father to the children of
Abraham; and those engaged in seeking the outcasts of Israel,
and the dispersed of Judah, cannot fail to enjoy the Spirit of the
Lord and have the choicest blessings of Heaven rest upon them
in copious effusions. Brethren, you are in the pathway to eternal
flame, and immortal glory; and inasmuch as you feel interested
for the covenant people of the Lord, the God of their fathers
shall bless you. Do not be discouraged on account of the
greatness of the work; only be humble and faithful. . . He who
scattered Israel has promised to gather them; therefore inasmuch
as you are to be instrumental in this great work, He will endow
you with power, wisdom, might, and intelligence, and every
qualification necessary; while your minds will expand wider
and wider, until you can circumscribe the earth and the heavens,
reach forth into eternity, and contemplate the mighty acts of
Jehovah in all their variety and glory.
–Joseph Smith, Jun., History of the Church, vol. 4, pages 128–129.
The gathering of the house of Israel is a very important doctrine to us as Latter–day Saints (LDS) and Christians alike. For some reason this doctrine seems to find itself in our interests. At times, we find ourselves fascinated by it, or at least should be. We cannot help but feel this way. This is due, in part, to the great prophecies declared concerning the destiny of the house of Israel in Old Testament times. These great prophecies were to be fulfilled in these days, (1 Ne. 15:18; 3 Ne. 15:8, 16:5, 11–12, 20:12, 21:7, 25–27, 29; Morm. 5:20, 8:23, 9:37) when the God of Israel begins to pour out His Spirit in remembrance of the covenant He made unto Abraham. The covenant is that Abraham's "seed shall" bless "all the nations of the earth" (Gen. 26:4), both the living and the dead. We discover that only though Abraham and his seed can the inhabitants of the world be saved (Isa. 2:2–3, 29:4, 49:22, 23; 1 Ne. 16:10, 21:22–23, 22:6–8, 30:3, 8; 2 Ne. 3:11–13, 19–20, 24, 6:7, 10:9, 11, 25:18, 23, 26:14–18, 29:12–14; 3 Ne. 16:4, 21:5, 22–24, 26:8, 28:32, 29:1; Morm. 3:17, 5:15, 7:8; Eth. 2:11; D&C 14:10, 19:27, 90:9, 107:33, 97). Undoubtedly, this is the boldest and most under-appreciated statement made in this essay. It's so easily labeled both a blessing and a burden.
We have actually been referred to as an "Old Testament" church because of our interest in this subject. We are literally performing one of the greatest tasks in all the history of the world. We are part of a great conclusion to an ancient Biblical pageant that has been in the process for thousands of years. We have a responsibility that may seem overwhelming. If it doesn't, either you don't understand, don't care, or are secure enough with the power of God and your own limitations in the matter. This subject has been spoken of by every prophet since God ever spoke to man. It is so vital to us who live in these last days that even our scriptures (Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price) many times have this topic as a central theme.
The Book of Mormon Reference Companion illustrates this very point:
1. Birthright: There are two definitions of the word birthright. (1.) The birthright blessing and (2.) the birthright inheritance. The birthright blessing is special blessings, rights, powers, and privileges given to the firstborn son or to the son which exercises distinctive righteousness more than any other within the family. Elder Bruce R. McConkie, in Mormon Doctrine explains that "worthiness, ability, and other requisites are also involved" with the giving of the birthright. Professor Victor Ludlow, of BYU, in his book Unlocking the Old Testament defines birthright as dealing "with the physical property" of the father which was given to the birthright son. "With the inheritance," the birthright son "assumed responsibility for his mother and unmarried sisters. He also was to be a financial resource... for the physical welfare of the family and usually served as the social–political leader of the family or clan." He continues: "The birthright blessing was [also] spiritual. In the patriarchal order of the priesthood, it included the keys of the priesthood and the authority to preside as the religious leader of the family or clan. Rather than automatically belonging to the eldest son, it was given to the most righteous son. In fact, for all the patriarchal families with more than one son, the birthright blessing went to a younger son." The foremost characteristic of the birthright son is responsibility. Responsibility: a word that continues to come up over and over again. Jehovah, being the Firstborn of God, in addition to being very righteous in the premortal world, received the birthright. He was bestowed (given sacred responsibility) with the eternal and infinite responsibility of the salvation of everyone and everything which was under His creative power.
2. Israel: This was the name given to the patriarch Jacob by the Lord. Through translation it can have a variety of meanings: let God prevail, contender with God, soldier of God, prince of God, ruling with God. The word Israel has been used as an identification or standard of a people. Elder James E. Talmage, in his timeless book Articles of Faith has said that, "the name Israel thus held with commendable pride by the remnant of a once mighty nation, was used in a figurative manner to designate the covenant people who constituted the Church of Christ." This means that the name Israel was not only in reference to the literal family (seed) of Israel, as we speak of later, but is in direct relation to any faithful member of the Lord's church. All of the descendants of the patriarch Israel have become known as the Israelites. Because of the promises God made with Israel, the term Israelite is not only known as a people or nation, but as a belief and philosophical system.
3. Jew: Any descendant of Judah, Jacob's fourth son. In other words "Judahite" has become known as "Jew." Over the centuries it has become associated with all the tribes of Israel, even though the word strictly defines the family of Judah. For example, an individual may consider himself a Jew, even though he if from the tribe of Reuben. In this sense, the man is either living in Jerusalem or under the rule of the tribe of Judah. Now days, the Jews of the world believe that only they are God's chosen people. What they do not remember is that they are only 1 in 12. There are eleven other tribes who have all the rights, privileges, and blessings of what they've been given.
4. Gentile: Those not of the house of Israel. The word is simply defined as "not of us." Though the word is generally associated with this topic, it could easily be used in the following sentence: Californians believe that if you're not from California you are a Gentile. Chief editor of the Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Daniel H. Ludlow, in his article "Of the House of Israel," in the Ensign explains that "to a Hebrew, a Gentile is a non–Hebrew; to an Israelite, a Gentile is a non–Israelite; and to a Jew, a Gentile is a non–Jew. In this sense, some Latter–day Saints have referred to those who are not members of the Church as Gentiles, even though they might be Jews! The word Gentile might also be used in several different ways to refer to a family, religious, political, or even geographical relationships. For example, a person might be considered an Israelite in a family or blood sense, but might be called a Gentile in a political or geographical sense because he lives in a land or nation that is primarily Gentile, or non–Israelitish."
5. House: The family of or all the rightful descendants or heirs of.
6. Lineage: To descend in a line from a common progenitor. Patriarchal blessings may use terms "such as 'son of,' 'daughter of,' 'seed of,' 'blood of,' 'descendant of,' or 'from the loins of'" to indicate a direct lineage.
7. Adoption: The acceptance of a Gentile into the house of Israel. When a nonmember joins the church he or she is adopted into the house of Israel. He is considered to be the literal seed of Israel. The word adoption is generally taken the same as baptism. Much more of this will be discussed later on.
8. Covenant: President John Taylor in his work The Government of God has already given the perfect definition:
NOAH.
We begin our historical background with Noah (nó–akh, meaning rest). For the sake of interest, I have included the Hebrew pronunciation and meaning for every name. These are taken from The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Starting here is logical due to all the living world directly descending from Noah and his family. Noah’s family, in the ark, consisted of eight individuals. Together, they repopulated the world after the cleansing effect of the flood. The flood occurred around 2,344 B.C.
Noah and his wife had three sons (in the ark). The names of these sons were Japheth (yeh–feth, expansion), Shem (shame, name), and Ham (khawm, hot, from the tropical habitat). All three sons were very righteous. Moses explained that they "gave heed, and... were called the sons of God" (Moses 8:13). This is an important concept to remember. All three of Noah's sons were good men. To be "called the sons of God" infers something significant.
Like I have alluded to prior, everyone alive today has come from one of these three sons. Each son is important, having significant divisions among each other. Noah said concerning the mandates of his sons in what is one of the most important scriptures in the book of Genesis: "God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant" (Gen. 9:27). In the event when this was said, Noah was informing Ham that through his wickedness (with his father’s garment in the tent) his [Ham’s] son Canaan would not be a beneficiary of the priesthood. This would include all of Ham’s posterity. Hugh Nibley, in his book Lehi in the Desert, explains this difficult concept more fully (pgs. 160-164).
The scripture also suggests the future condition of Shem’s posterity, and how they are going to be the instruments of salvation for the posterity of Japheth. "The tents of Shem" is a simple metaphor of the protective medium God offers to all the world by means of Shem's posterity. There are characteristic degrees with each of these three lineages. Comparatively, we know the levels of blessings attached to the three degrees of glory (JST 1 Cor. 15:40–42; D&C 76:50–113). These glories are assigned because of the deeds performed in this mortal life. Perhaps in following the same pattern of logic we can come to the conclusion that in the premortal realm we–who are all born after Noah–were assigned to "three degrees" (Shem, Japheth, and Ham) here upon the earth according to our use of agency.
A description of each of the sons of Noah and their posterity are here illustrated:
Japheth: His descendants are whom the Israelites refer to as the Gentiles (gó–ee, meaning "foreigners," "other," "not of us"). Even though his descendants are called Gentiles, the name has taken on other forms of meaning throughout Biblical history. (See definitions above)
Shem: His descendants are of whom the house of Israel will come from. Shem received the birthright (Gen. 9:26), and was noted for his righteousness by the reference of him being "the great high priest" (D&C 138:41). It has been suggested that he is the same person as Melchizedek (mal–kee–tseh–dek, king of right), the great prince of Salem (shaw–lamé, peaceful). Melchizedek is one of the most righteous and honorable men that ever lived. He taught the prophet Abraham. Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek (Gen. 14; Heb. 7:4–10). He was so righteous that the holy priesthood after the order of the Son of God has been named after him (Heb. 7:1–3, Alma 13:14–19, D&C 84:14, 107:1–4). Shem’s descendants are called Semites.
Ham: His descendants are those of the dark-skinned races. Ham married a woman by the name of Egyptus, a descendant of Adam’s son Cain. Her name "signifies that which is forbidden" (Abr. 1:23). Ham's descendants were cursed as pertaining to the priesthood of God (Abr. 1:26). It is important to know that their skin had a darker color due to an earlier curse the Lord had put upon the land of their ancestors (Moses 7:8, 22). The priesthood curse is not directly related to the color of their skin. One of Ham’s daughters discovered the land of Egypt while it was still under water. Afterwards, she settled her sons in that land and, thus, “preserved the curse" (Abr. 1:24). This is all we know of the beginnings of Ham's posterity, the Canaanites.
THE ANCIENT HOUSE OF ISRAEL.
ABRAHAM.
Ten generations later (about 2,022 B.C.) through Noah’s son Shem, there arose a mighty prophet by the name of Abram (ab–rawm, high father or exalted father). Because of Abram's desire "to be one who possessed great knowledge, and to be a greater follower of righteousness" (Abr. 1:2), the Lord eventually made a covenant with him while he lived in the city of Ur (Abr. 1:17–19; 2:1), which is located in present day Kawait. The covenant was meant to be passed on to Abram's posterity. Just as a side note, it's important to know that God made covenants with men long before Abram. God covenanted "with Adam and Eve and with all the ancient Patriarchs and prophets and their wives. For example, God made covenants of various kinds with Enoch;. . . Moses; the kings of Israel and Judah, including David, Solomon, and Josiah (2 Chr. 34:29–32); and many of the prophets." The covenant that God made with Abram was the first of its kind, incorporating a worldwide perspective.
After the covenant was made, Abram’s name was soon changed to Abraham (ab–raw–hawm, father of a multitude or exalted father of many nations). The changing of names is nothing new is the scriptures. It usually is connected with a great life-changing event in the person's life. For example, when Saul saw a light and heard the voice of God, he experienced a Divine intervention and soon changed his name to Paul. The covenant God made with Abraham is known as the Abrahamic Covenant. Everyone of Abraham’s literal (physical) descendants, who are righteous, are heirs to this covenant. Their righteousness is absolutely mandatory of heirship. The Lord told Abraham that this covenant, and in the following scriptural case, the priesthood--which is always affiliated with the covenant--"shall continue in thee, and in thy seed after thee (that is to say, the literal seed, or the seed of the body)" (Abr. 2:11). Abraham reverenced the majesty and sacred name of God; therefore, the Lord used this to convey the seriousness of this eternal contract: "For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself" (Heb. 6:13). Abraham’s descendants are known as the Hebrews (ib–reé, a descendant of Eber [an ancestor of Abraham]) (Gen. 14:13).
The Abrahamic covenant came with a sign or token to all its recipients. This token is known as circumcision (from the Latin meaning "to cut around"). It was directed by the Lord to Abraham that "ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you" (Gen. 17:11). It symbolized the sacred nature of separation or dedication to God. It also symbolized a separation from the world, a separation from sin. The LDS Bible Dictionary states that "the subjects of circumcision were male Israelites, properly when eight days old (Gen. 17:12), but sometimes at a later age, slaves born in the house or bought with money (Gen. 17:13), and strangers who wished to eat at the Passover (Ex. 12:48). The significance of circumcision was that it was the manifest token of the covenant that the Lord had made with Abraham and his seed." The Lord explained why he established this token of the covenant in the Joseph Smith Translation (JST) of Genesis 17:3–7, 11. The number eight is what is significant here. In many ways, eight represents a covenant. There was eight individuals on the ark during the flood as the Lord covenanted with Noah that the earth would never again endure a flood of this kind (Gen. 9:1-17; Moses 7: 49-52). In addition to this, the Lord explains "that children are not accountable before me until they are eight years old" (JST Gen. 17: 11)--the age of baptism in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where baptism is the first covenant made.
In the scriptures, there are many accounts that emphasize the deeper, spiritual implications of circumcision. "The Lord speaks of true circumcision as being the circumcision of the heart. The heart that is 'circumcised' is one that loves God and is obedient to the Spirit. The 'uncircumcised in heart' are wicked, proud, and rebellious' (Ezekiel 44:7; see also Deut. 10:16; 30:6; Jer. 4:4; 44:7). Therefore, though a man may be circumcised according to the order of the covenant, if he was unrighteous "the covenant was inactivated and the circumcision became profitless." Circumcision was merely an outward sign of the change of heart that is required in the inward man. This meaning to the practice is one that separates the seed of Abraham from the rest of the world. The Old Testament Student Manual further explains:
In essence, the covenant that God made with Abraham is thus:
1. Abraham's descendants would be God’s people if they would be obedient to God's commandments.
2. His descendants would be a blessing to all nations, especially One in particular. Abraham's posterity would hold the Gospel and the principles of salvation to all mankind. Besides the Gospel, Elder Talmage indicates a deeper explanation:
4. They would be given the responsibility of preaching the gospel and of being an influence for good; showing forth God’s goodness and glory.
5. They would be given the responsibility of blessing others by the holy priesthood, God’s authority that no one else had, the authority to act in the name of God, by which all covenants are made.
6. They were given a promise that they would receive certain "choice" lands (Gen. 17; 22: 15-18; Gal. 3; Abr. 2).
7. They were entitled to the blessings of eternal marriage (D&C 132).
8. They were to become a great nation.
9. They were to have a great name, known by everyone for "both good and evil."
10. They were to be blessed highly of God.
11. They were to be a numerous people, exceeding the number of the sands of the sea.
12. Abraham would be considered the "father" of nations (2 Nephi 8:2, speaking to the house of Israel).
13. Sarah (Abraham’s wife) would be considered the "mother" of nations (Gen. 17:16; 2 Nephi 8:2, speaking to the house of Israel).
14. They were to have kings and rulers from their own lineage to govern vast multitudes.
15. They were to construct temples as a greater means of worshiping their God (ex. the tabernacle of Moses and Solomon’s temple).
16. They were to do work for the dead in the temples of God (only after the death of their Messiah) (1 Pet. 3:18-19, 4:6).
17. They were to have scriptures and living prophets called amongst them for the benefit of all men.
18. They were entitled to the greatest gift of God--eternal life--since they had possession of the Gospel and all its priesthood ordinances. No other people had this promise.Genesis 17; Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28; and Abraham 2:8–11 are all excellent explanations of the Abrahamic covenant.
Jehovah commanded Abraham to depart from the city of Ur and travel to the city of Haran, in northern Syria. While in Haran, Jehovah renewed and expanded his covenant with Abraham and then directed that they relocate south to the land of Canaan (Gen. 12:1–6; Abr. 2:6–16). At this time the land of Canaan consisted of many city–states. Here Abraham and Sarah interacted with the people, but mainly lived on the outskirts. Abraham built alters and worshiped at various locations; in effect laying religious claim to the land for future generations of descendants to who the Lord had promised it as a part of the covenant (Gen. 12–23).
Abraham had three wives. “These wives and their sons, listed in order of the wives’ marriages to Abraham, are as follows: from Sarah (saw–raw)–Isaac; from Hagar (haw–gawŕ)–Ishmael; from Keturah (ket–oo–raw, perfumed)–Zimran (zim–rawń, musical), Jokshan (yok–shawń, insidious), Medan (med–awń), Midian (mid–yawń), Ishbak (yish–bawk, he will leave), and Shuah (shoó–akh).”
ISAAC (born: [about] 1,922 B. C.)
There is much said about Abraham’s two sons Isaac and Ishmael (yish–maw–alé, meaning God will hear)–more than any of his others. The Lord told Abraham that the covenant would be passed on through his son Isaac (yits–khawk, laughter) in words such as, “for in Isaac shall thy seed be called” (Gen. 17:21; 21:12; 26:3-4, 24; Rom. 9:7). “To such as may wonder why Isaac was chosen instead of his elder brother Ishmael to bear the covenant, St. Paul explains in his epistle to the Galatians, chapter 4, verses 28, 30, and 31: ‘Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of the promise... For the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So, then, brethren, we are not the children of the bondwoman, but of the free.’” Even though Ishmael was born before Isaac, his Egyptian mother was a handmaiden (or bond woman) to Isaac’s mother Sarah. This, for one, was why Isaac received the birthright. Isaac was born and raised in Canaan. Isaac, through the birthright, was to receive everything, even more than his father. Isaac married Rebekah (rib–kaw, fettering [by beauty]), a relative from the land of Haran; and they had two sons. Their sons were Esau (ay–sawv, handling or rough) and Jacob, both twins.
JACOB (born: [about] 1,862 B. C.)
The birthright was first given to Esau, but he eventually lost possession of it ([read carefully to understand why] Gen. 25:27-34; 26:34-35). The reasoning behind Jacob obtaining the birthright is obscure. There are two arguments as to why. The first is that Easu sold it to Jacob. The second is that Easu took a wife among the daughters of the Hittites, who were Canaanites. The chosen lineage was forbidden to marry outside (lineage–wise) the bounds the Lord had set. Besides, the Canaanites were forbidden to be prophesied to because they had performed mass genocide against the people of Shum (Moses 7:7, 12). Therefore, the birthright was given to Jacob (yah–ak–obé, heel–catcher, i.e. supplanter), whose name was later changed to Israel (yis–raw–al , he will rule as God, Gen. 35:10-12). To escape his brother’s subsequent anger and to find an appropriate bride, Jacob traveled to his ancestral homeland of Haran. Jacob/Israel’s descendants are called the Israelites; if you are a descendant of Israel, then you are an Israelite. It is Jacob’s righteous descendants who constitute the house of Israel and is where the phrase originates from. So significant was this that, the Israelites in every era upon the earth have been designated as such in premortal times. Certain scriptures ascertain this idea: “Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: . . .When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel” (Deuteronomy 32:7–8). A similar passage is found in the book of Acts: “And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;” (Acts 17:26).
BYU professor, Robert L. Millet, quotes Elder Melvin J. Ballard as saying that [the people of] Israel are “a group of souls tested, tried, and proven before they were born into the world. . . Through this lineage were to come the true and tried souls that had demonstrated their righteousness in the spirit world before they came here.”
President Harold B. Lee said:
When Jacob returned to Canaan, he had 12 sons, and at least one daughter (Dinah), from each one of his four wives. These women were Leah (lay–aw, weary) and Rachel (raw–khalé), both sisters; and Bilhah (bil–haw) and Zilpah (zil–paw, to trickle as myrrh; or fragrant dropping), both handmaids which were given unto each sister (Gen. 30:4, 9). The children of the handmaids were viewed legally as the children of Rachel and Leah.
Thus, Isaac and Jacob, both father and son, received the birthright blessing of the covenant. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are so well renowned throughout scripture. Their names are universally known throughout Israelite culture. While referencing to the greatness and mercy of God to His people or just to the greatness of Jehovah Himself, the ancient Israelites would usually do it in companionship to these three names. They would commonly use phrases like “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (Exodus 3:6; Matt. 22:32; Mark 12:36; Luke 20:37; Acts 7:32; 1 Nephi 19:10; Alma 36:2). Connotations like this are ordinarily seen throughout the scriptures and this is why.
Israel’s sons were thus (in parenthesis are the meaning of each name and the scripture reference where it is found):
#1-6 offspring of Israel and Leah:
1. Reuben (reh–oo–bané, “See [ye] a son”–Genesis 29:32)
2. Simeon (shim–ōn , “Hearing”–Genesis 29:33)
3. Levi (lay–ve , attached or “Joined”–Genesis 29:34)
4. Judah (yeh–hoo–daw, celebrated or “Praise”–Genesis 29:35)
5. Issachar (yis–saw–kawr, “[he will bring] A reward”–Genesis 30:18)
6. Zebulun (zeb–oo–loon, habitation or “Dwelling”–Genesis 30:20)
#7-8 offspring of Israel and Bilhah:
7. Dan (dawn, judge or “Judging”–Genesis 30:6)
8. Naphtali (naf–taw–le , “[my] Wrestling”–Genesis 30:8)
#9-10 offspring of Israel and Zilpah:
9. Gad (gawd, fortune or “Troop”–Genesis 30:11)
10. Asher (aw–shar , happy or “My happiness”–Genesis 30:13)
11-12 offspring of Israel and Rachel:
11. Joseph (yo–saf , let him add or “Adding”–Genesis 30:24)
12. Benjamin (bin–yaw–men , right hand or “Son of my right hand”–Genesis 35:18)
Each son and his descendants were called tribes; and they, like their progenitors within the covenant, each were given certain responsibilities. The 49th chapter of Genesis explains what some of these are. We know of additional obligations which have been noted throughout the scriptures. There is also the particular duties laid out in the patriarchal blessings of the now modern day members of Israel.
By righteousness, two of the 12 sons (or tribes) were considered more “privileged” and were blessed. Thus, you may find them mentioned more in these conditions throughout the scriptures. They were given even more of a charge for the evangelizing of the covenant and its mission to the world (1 Chron. 5:2; Isa. 11:11–13; Ezek. 37:16–20).
These two tribes were none other than Judah and Joseph.
1. Judah is given the responsibility of being the kings and rulers of the rest of Israel (or the tribes of Israel). Jesus Christ, the King of kings came through this line. Judah is over the temporal welfare of his brethren. Jacob blessed Judah telling him:
[INSERT DIAGRAM]
As demonstrated in the above diagram, it is plausible to say that every Jew is considered an Israelite, a Hebrew, and a Semite. But not every Semite, Hebrew, or Israelite is considered a Jew. Just as all Israelites are Hebrews and that not every Hebrew is an Israelite, so is every Hebrew a Semite and yet not every Semite is a Hebrew.
JOSEPH (born: [about] 1,771 B. C.)
As a result of family tensions produced when Joseph shared his prophetic dream with his family, he was eventually sold into Egypt by his older brothers (Gen. 37). While in Egypt Joseph rises to power, becoming as a prime minister. The “Egyptians” dominating Egypt at this time were non–Egyptians; they were known as the Hyksos. The Hyksos (of Semitic decedent) had migrated into the Nile delta area and exercised control from 1,700–1,550 B.C. Through Joseph’s position of power in Egypt, he was able to preserve his family from the effects of a famine in Canaan as they relocated to northern Egypt. The family’s move to Egypt was permanent: Jacob and eventually all his children died there (Gen. 39–50).
2. Joseph is given the birthright (1 Chronicles 5:2). This simply means that he is considered to be even more special. Here the word special has, perhaps, a different context of usage of its normal connotation. He is given a double portion of the Covenant through his own two sons. Their names are Ephraim (ef–rah–yim, double fruit) and Manasseh (men–ash–sheh, causing to forget). Ephraim eventually receives the birthright by his grandfather Israel as an extension of Joseph’s birthright (Gen. 48:11–15). Joseph’s responsibility is to save his brethren; and will, therefore, be for the spiritual welfare of all the house of Israel. The tribe of Joseph will be to save his brethren by ministering to their spiritual well–being, just as Joseph of old saved his brothers from famine by bringing them into the land of Egypt. Jacob blessed Joseph telling him:
Knowing and understanding that the tribe of Joseph received the birthright will open new doors of insight and break down so many of the common orthodox traditions. For many of the Jews in the world, as well as for many of the fundamentalist Christians, the thought is traditionally had that the Jewish people are God’s only people, and that the Judeo–Christian world is merely waiting with anticipation upon the events when God will come and redeem (only) them and again, claiming them anew as His people. This statement is in part correct; but the reality of the situation is that the Jews are only one–twelfth part of all of God’s covenant people. They are important and special, but there is still eleven–twelfths of the promised children of Israel who are just as rightfully heirs to the covenanted blessings of God. Out of all the twelve tribes, it is the tribe of Joseph who ought to be revered with disparateness. It is they who received the birthright. The Jews did not. It is just that the Jews were the only division of Israel as a whole to be partially gathered and returned to their homeland (See The Scatterings.) Yet, it is Joseph who is scattered and who will eventually perform a great work for the Lord and for their brethren in the latter days. This is all due to the divine birthright of this lineage.
As illustrated in this picture, the four grand Patriarchs of the Lord’s covenant work in ancient times are Abraham, Isaac, Israel, and Joseph. It is their descendants–literal and adopted– over all the modern world who are the recipients of our Heavenly Father’s greatest blessings.
The following (below) is a chart taken from James H. Anderson’s book God’s Covenant Race. It is used for the purpose of chronologically reviewing the previous information presented. Although we began with Noah, the tenth generation from Father Adam, the chart provides a pedigree of every important person in the early Biblical history. These early patriarchs are vastly important, not only to the religions of mankind, but to basic traditions, practices, and ways of thought. Every individual on the planet at this time, if they could understand their genealogical origin, would find it coursed though these sacred men of our early history. It is appropriate to know who they are, where they correspond in history, and what they did for mankind.
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THERE ARE TWO MAIN GATHERINGS OF ISRAEL.
THE FIRST GATHERING.
The Egyptians reclaimed control over Egypt in [about] 1,550 B.C. They deprived the Hyksos of their reign. This revival of the native Egyptian power created an new empire spanning even into the regions of Canaan (See Bible Map 9). This was most likely the time of the Egyptian oppression of the people of Israel, now residing in the land of Egypt. As this oppression became more and more prevalent, the Lord prepared a deliverer to “rescue” the covenant people.
Moses (mo–sheh, drawing out [of the water], i.e. rescued) is this deliverer. The Jews greatly revere the prophet Moses, as ought the rest of the world; but he was not one of them, meaning he was not Jewish. He was a Levite of the tribe of Levi. He was born to an Israelite mother but raised in the household of an Egyptian king. Moses, later, flees to Midian to preserve his life. There he married and received his divine call to deliver Israel from bondage (Ex. 2–4). After he and his brother Aaron (ă–har–oné) had confronted the pharaoh, he eventually brings the tribes of Israel out of the bondage of slavery from Egypt into the wilderness for 40 years. The tribes of Israel were in Egypt as slaves for [almost] 400 years since the time Joseph initially brought his brothers in from the famine plaguing the land. In Egypt, the Israelites began to adopt the idolatry and customs of the Egyptians. They also began to forget the blessings that God had in store for them, both individually and collectively, considering their ancestral claim to the Abrahamic Covenant.
Jehovah, beginning to reestablish Israel into a new dispensation, revealed to Moses on tablets of stone the fullness of the everlasting gospel. “The yearly Passover not only celebrates the sparing of Israel’s firstborn, but it recalls the Sinai covenant which made Israel a distinctive and chosen people.” After, Moses was told to get down from the mountain where the Lord had just been speaking unto him, “for [the] people, which [Moses] broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves” (Ex. 32:7). To his astonishment, he found the people praising a golden calf, in the satisfaction of their ripened idolatrous ways while developed in Egypt (Ex. 32:2–10). Moses later received a “lesser law” or what is called the preparatory gospel. This is known as the Law of Moses. This was given unto Israel in regards to them not being prepared for the gospel’s fullness. It was less then what they could have had, but much greater than what they then had.
This Mosaic Law did not provide a complete salvation. It was only given to prepare the people to eventually receive all the ordinances of salvation and all the covenant of Abraham. Abinadi, in the Book of Mormon, said, “that salvation doth not come by the law alone; and were it not for the atonement, which God himself shall make for the sins and iniquities of his people, that they must unavoidably perish, notwithstanding the law of Moses” (Mosiah 13:28). Also, in addressing the purpose of the law of Moses to Israel, Nephi said, “we keep the law of Moses, and look forward with steadfastness unto Christ, until the law shall be fulfilled. For, for this end was the law given; wherefore the law hath become dead unto us, and we are made alive in Christ because of our faith; yet we keep the law because of the commandments” (2 Nephi 25:24–25). The Nephites in the Americas were preparing themselves, as should have been the Jews, for the fullness of the gospel which was to be restored to the house of Israel by their Messiah.
The powerful combination of Jehovah’s redemption of the Israelites from the bondage of Egypt (celebrated in the holiday of Passover) and His initiation of a renewed covenant relationship with them at Sinai, the mount where Moses received the new law, provided the basis for the people of Israel’s relationship with the Lord as they entered the promise land to claim at least some of the blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant.
The prophet Joshua (yeh–ho–shoó–ah, Jehovah–saved), eventually, takes Israel into the land of Canaan, the promised land. This part of land was divinely allocated to Israel by the Lord though the covenant. Each tribe received a portion of the land for its own (See map 5, Bible Appendix).
Israel was to be established as a great nation in accordance to the covenant and promises of God. They were to begin their sacred duty to “bless all nations” acting as a “peculiar” people, special to God (Ex. 19:5). This people was God’s instruments of salvation to the whole world. This is a particular time revered by Israel as being their great establishment of power, authority, and perfect distinction as a chosen people under the direction of the Almighty. “Over this period, beginning with Moses and ending with Jeremiah, the distinguishing features of the religion were prophets, priesthood, the promised land, and the temple.” What Israel learned of itself during this time has followed through the ages and has been a source of their traditionalism, either being endorsed by Jehovah and not. More importantly, it also set the precedence and standard for the Lord’s chosen people for all future generations.
Israel learned for itself that there were beautiful, sacred, and favored blessings and characteristics in store for them. One of which is the notation of being a peculiar people. The word peculiar in Latin, peculium, is interesting in its meaning as “private property.” The nation of Israel was designed for a higher purpose as the Lord states through Isaiah that “this people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise” (Isaiah 43:21). Israel was to be the “private property” of the Lord, formed by Him and for His purpose in the administering of His grace to all humanity; and they were not to be influenced by the vain and wicked ways of worldliness. Even their land was private property in that “there was no such thing as fee–simple, absolute ownership of real estate. The land of Israel belonged to God. A person in the tribe of Manasseh or Benjamin or whatever could be assigned to occupy land during his lifetime and had a life interest that could then be passed on to proper heirs, but a person in the house of Israel could not sell his land on the open market to a non–Israelite without there being a right of redemption, so that any other person in the tribe could come and redeem that land.” They were to stand as a “separate” (Alma 5:57) people manifesting to the greatness and holiness of God. “For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth” (Deut. 14:2).
Israel as a nation is one consisting of a heavenly royalty in all its holy heritage. It is even as Peter says to the Israel in his day: “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people. . .” (1 Peter 2:9). Elder Bruce R. McConkie states that:
W. J. Cameron, a man of wise words, once stated one of the most profound explanations as to why God uses and separates a distinct people with a distinct responsibility. This statement, in my opinion, is to be regarded as a basic standard to those of us who live now with the responsibility of Israel. To me, this statement answers any question as to why God works in this way. He says:
Thus, Israel’s importance as a special people of God is absolutely imperative, not only unto themselves but to all the nations of the world. Brigham H. Roberts illustrates an impressive meaning of what the mission of Israel was (and is):
“This was the mission given to Israel by his revealed religion: to testify to the reality of God; that He is Creator of the heavens and of the earth, and all things that in them are; that He is the Eternal Cause of events within the universe.
is the mission given unto Israel. This the means through which the seed of Abraham would be a blessing unto all nations of the earth; because through his seed these several things would be made known to the world, and through his seed would the Messiah come to earth.
“And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes. . .” (Deut 10:12–13).
Now, after being newly gathered by Moses out of the land of Egypt and established into the land of Canaan (modern day Palestine), the house of Israel consisted of:
–Reuben
–Simeon
–Judah
–Issachar
–Zebulun
–Dan
–Naphtali
–Gad
–Asher
–Ephraim
–Manasseh
–Benjamin
In all reality there consists 13 tribes. The tribe of Levi was given the responsibility of the administration of the priesthood to the rest of the tribes, and is, therefore, not given an inheritance (Num. 18:23–24). The tribe of Joseph is not specifically mentioned since he received a double portion through his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh.
This newly organized nation was to have God–Jehovah (yeh–ho–vaw, self–Existent or Eternal)–as their King.
Israel was now situated to influence nations with the message of the gospel as nations were to pass through its borders.
Judges were established by the Lord to lead the Israelites in military action and in delivering them from subjection to various neighboring people. While the Israelites were connected through genealogy and religion, the book of Judges mentions no national political organization in Israel during this time. Kinship provided a major means of organization in this patriarchal society: tribes, clans, extended families.
After the era of the Judges, which consisted for about two centuries following Israel’s settlement in Canaan, the prophet Samuel (sehm–oo–alé, heard from God) called a man named Saul (shaw–ooĺ, asked), from the tribe of Benjamin, to be a king, satisfying the peoples want of a king called from amongst themselves.
Saul eventually falls out of favor with the Lord.
David (daw–veed, loving), a man from the tribe of Judah (the kingly or ruling tribe) was then anointed king under the direction of the prophet Samuel (1 Sam. 16:1–13). Already powerful in the ancient Near East, coupled with David’s energy and ability and the Lord’s favor, this allowed David to expand Israelite control over most of Israel’s neighbors and collect tribute that greatly enriched the kingdom. Jehovah covenanted with David to establish David’s descendants as rulers of Israel forever (2 Sam. 7).
David’s son, Solomon (shel–o–mó, peaceful), was called after him and anointed by the prophet Nathan (naw–thawń, given). Solomon was a man noted for his wisdom and erecting the first grand Israelite temple to Jehovah, the God of Israel.
This era under the reign of king David and king Solomon was a time for great expansion and power for Israel. This was [about] 1,000 B.C.
Solomon’s son, Rehoboam (rekh–ab–awm, a people has enlarged), was then called to be king according to the pattern of the kings.
From a disagreement of the rising of taxes, at the establishing of Rehoboam as king, 10 of the 12 tribes rebelled and broke away remaining in the northern most part of the kingdom. These ten tribes called a man named Jeroboam (yaw–rob–awm, [the] people will contend), from the tribe of Ephraim, to be their own king.
It was the tribe of Judah and half of Benjamin that stayed loyal to king Rehoboam (or to the house of David and Solomon). Most of the Levites also stayed in with Judah. They later became known as the Cohen’s.
This must be understood that this was a huge state of affair for this nation of Israel. A nation so unified and powerful, in favor with God was now separating amongst itself. Enemies and severe opposition was to be the common allotment for the remaining time of the people of Israel. In many ways this is comparable with the separation that the United States of America experienced in its 19th century past. This was a time when friends, relatives, and even direct family split due mainly to political issues. Even though the United States eventually returned to being united, certain stereotypes and challenging traditions still remain to the present day. Israel’s great separation of its time has followed similar patterns, even though the God–appointed nation is still not together unified as it once was. This will only occur in the last days, under the proper principles of spiritual and theocratical conditions.
1. The ten tribes in the north called themselves the kingdom of Israel, governed by the tribe of Ephraim; their capital was Samaria (sho–mer–ōné, watch–station). The Samaritan name will later be used by the Jews to call those of their separated brethren who were the combined offspring of northern Israel with their gentile neighbors. Their history is primarily recorded in the books of 1st and 2nd Kings.
2. The two tribes in the south called themselves the kingdom of Judah, governed by the tribe of Judah or the Jews; their capital was Jerusalem (yer–oo–shaw–lah–im, founded peaceful). Their ancient history is primarily Biblically recorded in the books of 1st and 2nd Chronicles.
A bit of Jewish history to help us understand those of the kingdom of Judah, their descendants, and their common influence among our world: The Jews through the ages have brought the solitary distinction of “God’s people” upon only themselves, negating the historical fact that they are only one in twelve. “In Jewish history, Sinai marks the beginning of Judaism–the religion of the Jewish people.” Later in Judah’s history, after they were gathered out of Babylon (See The Scatterings), a major transformation occurred, a notable Jewish apostasy; this transformation led to others.
“Because of the long and varied history of the Jews, it is difficult to define a Jew. There is no such thing as a Jewish race. Jewish identity is a mixture of religious, historical, and ethnic factors. According to Jewish law, anyone born to a Jewish mother or converted to Judaism is considered a Jew. The branch of Judaism that is known as Reform Judaism also accepts as Jews children born to a non–Jewish mother and a Jewish father. There are two broad groups of Jews. Most Ashkenazim are descendants of members of Jewish communities of central and Eastern Europe. The Sephardim are descendants of Jews from Spain, Portugal, or other Mediterranean countries and the Middle East. Other groups of Jews include those descended from Jewish communities of Ethiopia and India.”
“According to Jewish tradition, the written commandments, found in Genesis through Deuteronomy (the Law, or Torah), were accompanied by oral interpretations when they were given to Moses on Sinai. Jews believe that the oral law passed down by word of mouth from Moses to Joshua, and on to the leaders, to the prophets, and the Men of the Great Assembly which, according to tradition, consisted to Ezra and one hundred twenty eminent scholars. This oral law eventually took precedence over the prophets, since after the Babylonian captivity the Jews considered prophets only as messengers or spokesmen who reminded them to keep the Law of Moses. Consequently, the members of the Assembly rose to prominence as sources of wisdom and knowledge who could interpret the written word. The letter of the law thereafter became more important than the spirit.”
The Jews have found for themselves a quaint situation of consistent persecution. Ignorance in the minds of many Christians seem to explain away this unfortunate, yet “seemingly deserved punishment” (according to their understanding) by citing such scripture as when the Jews of Christ’s time answered Pilate saying: “[let] His blood be on us, and on our children” (Matt. 27:25). Even the Book of Mormon poses a rather interesting accusation towards the Jews in that “it must needs be expedient that Christ. . . should come among the Jews, among those who are the more wicked part of the world; and they shall crucify him–for thus it behooveth our God, and there is none other nation on earth that would crucify their God. For should the mighty miracles be wrought among other nations they would repent, and know that he be their God” (2 Ne. 10:3–4). I am not even attempting to reason in explanation of the Jews and their long strain of persecution. Doctrinally, it seems fuzzy to determine any real conclusion. I choose to ignore just stipulation and rather focus upon their actual history with a deep respect.
Consider more of their history leading to our modern times: “After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Christian Church became the most powerful force in Europe. In the early Middle Ages, the Jews lived fairly peacefully with their Christian neighbors. Many Jews became merchants. Others practiced trades or owned land. Many Christians respected the Jews for their contributions to society. But some Christians blamed the Jews for the death of Jesus and mistrusted them because they would not accept Christianity. Such hatred of Jews later became known as anti–Semitism.
“The situation of the Jews became worse beginning in 1096, when a series of military expeditions called the Crusades began. These campaigns to free the Holy Land from the Muslims stirred a wave of intense feeling against non–Christians. The Crusaders killed many Jews and sometimes massacred entire Jewish communities. The Crusades marked the beginning of a long period of Jewish martyrdom (death for a belief).
“The Jews were seen by Christians more and more as outsiders. Some Christians accused Jews of bringing on the troubles of society. In the mid–1300's a terrible plague, the Black Death, swept Europe, killing about a fourth of the population. Many Christians unfairly blamed the Jews for the Black Death, and mobs killed thousands of Jews. Christians commonly accused Jews of murdering Christian children as part of their religious rituals. This accusation, which became known as the blood libel, was used as an excuse to attack Jews.
"Political and religious leaders required Jews in certain areas to wear badges or special clothes that identified them as Jews. In many cities, Jews were forced to live in separate communities that became known as ghettos. Jews also lost the right to own land and to practice certain trades. To earn a living, many Jews became peddlers or moneylenders. Beginning in the late 1200's, the Jews were expelled from England, France, and parts of central Europe. Many settled in Eastern Europe, especially Poland.
“To avoid persecution, some Jews in Spain and Portugal, which had become Christian countries, pretended to convert to Christianity but continued to practice Judaism secretly. These Jews were known as Marranos. Ferdinand and Isabella, the king and queen of Spain, established a special court called the Inquisition to punish people suspected of not following Christian teachings. The Inquisition used torture to force confessions from its victims, many of whom were Marranos. In 1492, Jews who had not converted to Christianity were expelled from Spain. Soon after, Jews were forced to leave Portugal. Many Jews fled to what are now Italy and Turkey. Some went to Palestine, where they studied the Kabbalah, the Jewish mystical tradition.
“In the 1500's, a movement called the Reformation led to the development of Protestantism in Europe. It seemed that the situation of the Jews might improve. But when the Jews failed to convert to the new branch of Christianity, persecution continued.”
“It is an understatement to say that the Holocaust has had the greatest impact on the Jewish people and Judaism in modern times. But it has been by no means the only persecution modern Jews have faced. Confronted with such pressures, three branches of [modern] Judaism have emerged as reinterpretations of the historical past: Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox. Another branch of Judaism more political than religious is Zionism.”
A divine warning ought to be heard in the prophetic word of the Book of Mormon, a warning to be infused into the hearts of every believing Christian wishing to do the will of their God: “But thus saith the Lord God: O fools, they shall have a Bible; and it shall proceed forth from the Jews, mine ancient covenant people. And what thank they the Jews for the Bible which they receive from them? Yea, what do the Gentiles mean? Do they remember the travails, and the labors, and the pains of the Jews, and their diligence unto me, in bringing forth salvation unto the Gentiles? O ye Gentiles, have ye remembered the Jews, mine ancient covenant people? Nay; but ye have cursed them, and have hated them, and have not sought to recover them. But behold, I will return all these things upon your own heads; for I the Lord have not forgotten my people” (2 Ne. 29:4–5).
[MAPS OF THE ANCIENT KINGDOM OF ISRAEL AND JUDAH AND THE ASSYRIAN AND BABYLON EMPIRES]
The rest of the Old Testament is a record of the prophets exhorting this “covenant people” to repent and live righteously that they may receive the promised blessings that are entitled only unto them. This record illustrates the arrogance, idolatry, and other wickedness of God’s people within the two kingdoms. It also further demonstrates how God uses the gentile nations and empires in attempting to bring Israel back unto the Lord.
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THE SCATTERINGS.
Both kingdoms turn to gross sin and iniquity. They are eventually conquered, captured, and scattered (Deut. 28:64). They were not only scattered away from their home lands and that of divine inheritance, but also away from their Lord and the “covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows, performances, connections, associations, [and] expectations” (D&C 132:7) that lead to salvation. Many times the scriptures report that Israel did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. We see this pattern over and over, especially in the Book of Mormon. Nibley even accounts: “The chosen people themselves regularly fall from grace and must be called to repentance. ‘Because of the shedding of blood,’ says the Talmud, ‘the holy house [the temple–the same expression is used in the scrolls] is destroyed, and God withdraws [literally, ‘takes back up’] his presence from Israel.’” As a result of such disobedience, as well as in the fulfillment of prophesy (Amos 9:9), Israel at various times is conquered and eventually scattered across all the earth. Idolatry is of Israel’s greatest past time sins and craving satisfaction. Elijah confronted the 450 priests of Baal. The Israelites defiled the land by erecting shrines to the gods of heathenism. Solomon had conceded to the desire of his heathen wives and erected idols for them in the land. “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Ex. 20:4), commanded the Lord as Israel fought off the Egyptian idolatry, only to further find it in the land of Canaan. The Lord repeatedly warned them of the “pollution of idols;” and idols are what seems to be in Israel’s continual rebellious interest.
As an example, Jeremiah admonished Israel against the erroneous doctrine of the queen of heaven or the supreme mother of heaven. “The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead [their] dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger” (Jer. 7:18, see vs. 17–26). So iniquitous was this nation that the Lord expresses His anger: “[They] obeyeth not the voice of the LORD their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth” (Jer. 7:28). It has always been the theological axiom that eternal life consists of knowing the true and living God. Jesus only reminded us of this (John 17:3) in the meridian of time, while not being merely suggestive that it a recent doctrine. The first and greatest of all the commandments of God is to love Him “with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matt. 22:37). Every other commandment, as appendages to this, will always be fully kept when this one is of priority. It is no mystery why the adversary would promote this one sin to the extreme that he has. Idolatry was not only found in ancient Israel and meridian–time Israel, but is very much found in modern Israel. We may not be prancing around a golden calf (Ex. 32:4) or worshiping the sun and moon (Deut. 4:19) today, but at any time we find ourselves placing any creation before the Creator in any way whatsoever, we are as much an idolater as those of the past.
Just why God allowed this capturing and scattering to happen, I believe, extends further than just mere punishment and consequence to sin. Remember that it is only Abraham’s literal seed who are heirs of salvation through the covenant. As scattered Israel now intermarries and propagates with the other races of men throughout the world, the Lord accomplishes just this.
Let us not forget another important aspect of the scattering of Israel–one in which lies in pure symbolism and lesson–learning for all the rest of us. The ancient kingdoms of Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon have been used to describe the world in all of its dark wickedness (Isa. 10, 13, 14) and pseudo–glory (Moses 1:13–14). As we have illustrated and will further illustrate, the Lord has used these kingdoms to humble those who are meant to be not of the world and its dark wickedness. Yet, they are not just used as a humbling and “returning” agent, but many times they are unfortunately granted due to Israel’s seemingly desire for that lifestyle. These kingdoms represent the ultimate antithesis of what God requires in His Zion, that is to “organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God;” (D&C 88:119, 109:8).
These kingdoms represent the great philosophies of the world at its best, seeking to satisfy its overarching curiosity into the cosmic realms of eternal explanations and understandings. Many a men have found themselves caught in the whims of darkness and confusion when that wasn’t their first intent. It is firmly believed, not only through reason alone, but by direct omniscient love on behalf of mankind that this is why the “Father of [our] spirits” (Heb. 12:9) has given commandments to His children from the very dawn of their existence. Israel being scattered, was brought about by the neglect of these commandments: the divine guidelines for all to sufficiently prepare their needed “house of God,” their Zion. Yet, of most, Israel began to forget their God, the negation of the greatest command of all. When situations arrive in our lives when we either underlook or look “beyond the mark,” (Jacob 4:14) and unfortunately act in accordance, we, too, can find ourselves in very unpleasant and even tearful circumstances. The world is what Christ overcame (Rev. 3:21); it is what we are to live in while being not of. We can so easily discover ourselves aimlessly wandering “through the ashes of a life destroyed by one’s own choices,” encompassed by disarray in the absence of Heaven’s light and guidance; such was the case for the early Christian church; such was the case for the ancient house of Israel. Nibley recognizes that the “key to the Book of Mormon” is knowing that “their history is really our history. We are all taking the same standard test, talking the same terms, etc. The props change, the scene changes, the background changes, the sets and the technology change–but the issues are always the same. It's a test. We're all trying to qualify for the same job, the same future employment–to rule and reign in the House of Israel. So it applies to us just as much as it does to them. That's why Isaiah is so alive today. He said he knew they were very treacherous. He just bawls Israel out, etc.” The greatest thing that we can learn from history is that, through our own laziness, we usually don’t learn a thing from it. Graciously, by accounts in religious history and by the whisperings of the Spirit, we too may return to God and our original placement once and only once we keep what was unkept and honor what was previously dishonored.
These important chronological scattering events in Israel and their dates are as follows:
721 B. C.: The Assyrian empire captures the northern kingdom of Israel (2 Kings 15) and scatters the 10 tribes. The Assyrians were an extreme barbaric and largely inhumane people–the hoped epitome of the what enemies are to be made not of. A little description of the type of inpatient jurisprudence had by the Assyrians may give the proper setting of the kingdom of Israel was in for:
Other torture practices include impaling stakes, chained in cages for the amusement of the populace, blinding their children, or lacerating their members to give unto wild dogs, swine, or wolves. With this caliber of punishment lurking at their door, it is no wonder why the prophets cried mightily unto the people (Isa. 10:5). “Assyria was at the height of its power, and its reputation for terror and brutality should have been sufficient to turn Israel back to their God, but they would not heed.” The Assyrians hoped that by deporting the Israelites into a foreign land they could rid them of their foolish traditions. Upon their capture many of the northern Israelites fled to the southern kingdom for refuge. Due to their excessive wickedness, it was not surprising that many of the remaining captured Israelites had turned leisurely to the pagan ways of the Assyrians; thereupon, losing their identity completely. The primary record kept at this time–and what we know of as the Bible–was done so under the responsibility of the tribe of Judah. Therefore, the kingdom of Israel being captured and taken away would have been known to the southern kingdom as “the lost ten tribes,” even though its phraseology is absent in their record. The word “lost” is always used with this phrase only because of the perspective in which the record (Bible) was written, a perspective from the Jews. Perhaps, had we had the records of those lost tribes now, the phraseology would be different, with regard to their perspective.
609–612 B. C.: The Babylonian empire, in alliance with Egypt and Media conquers and overtakes the Assyrian empire beginning with the capital city of Ninevah. Josephus informs us that “the king of Babylon, whose name was Baladan, sent ambassadors to Hezekiah [king of Judah] with presents, and desired de would be his ally and his friend” in this feat of conquering the Assyrians. Hezekiah had shown the ambassadors all of his wealth before providing them with a feast and sending them on their way. Upon hearing of this, the prophet Isaiah, reported to Hezekiah that in due time his nations along with all their tresure shall be taken to Babylon.
The Babylonian empire and their city was one spoken of by many using such descriptive words that, seemingly enough, were not mere exaggerations. It has been described as having walls “eighty–four feet wide and three hundred and thirty–six feet high” by Herodotus, an ancient historian. But through further discoveries, it has been found that these numbers are even less accurate. “The [thickness of the] whole structure. . . was one hundred and thirty–six and a half feet wide.” As just previously alluded to, Babylon was of the great symbols of the world. It has been said that it the kingdom of Satan, “the great whore” (Rev.17:1) and the “the mother of harlots and abominations” (Rev. 17:5).
“Babylon, as the center of a great kingdom, was the seat of boundless luxury, and its inhabitants were notorious for their addiction to self–indulgence and effeminacy. Q. Curtius (v:1) asserts that, ‘nothing could be more corrupt than its morals, nothing more fitted to excite and allure to immoderate pleasures. The rites of hospitality were polluted by the grossest and most shadeless lusts. Money dissolved every tie, whether of kindred, respect, or esteem. The Babylonians were very greatly given to wine, and the enjoyments which accompany inebriety. Women were present at their convivialities, first with some degree of propriety, but, growing worse and worse by degrees, they ended by throwing off at once their modesty and their clothing.’ On the ground of their awful wickedness the Babylonians were threatened with condign [appropriate, deserved] punishment, through the mouths of the prophets; and the tyranny with which the rulers of the city exercised their sway was not without a decided effect in bringing on them the terrific consequences of the Divine vengeance.”
The northern tribes, upon the destruction of their Assyrian captors, were free to escape. This is the beginning of their eventual monumental scattering. “...We find references to the north–bound migration of the Ten Tribes, which they undertook in accordance with the plan to escape the heathen by going to ‘a farther country where never man dwelt, that they might there keep their statutes which they never kept in their own land’ [see 2 Esdras 13:40–45, Apocrypha]. The same writer informs us that they journeyed a year and a half into the north country, but gives us evidence that many remained in the land of their captivity.” After deporting many Israelites, the Assyrians moved other conquered peoples into northern Israel. The integration of these new peoples with the remaining Israelite population produced the mixed group known as the Samaritans, whom their Judahite neighbors considered religiously as well as genealogically impure.
(About) 600 B. C.: A business man by the name of Lehi (lekh–ee), of the tribe of Manasseh [son of Joseph], along with the prophet Jeremiah (yir–meh–yaw–hoo, Jah will rise) and many others tell the people of the kingdom of Judah, the southern remaining kingdom, to repent of their sins for the Babylonian empire was prophesied to soon overtake them on account of their wickedness and disobedience (Isa. 13:9; Jer. 51:1).
A thoughtful question may be asked: How did Lehi’s descendants, who are of Joseph, live in the kingdom of Judah, when the two tribes of Joseph, along with the other tribes, were earlier taken captive by the Assyrians? The answer, perhaps, lies in 2 Chronicles 15:9. It explains that portions of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh fled from the kingdom of Israel to the kingdom of Judah prior to their scattering. Most likely Lehi’s descendants were among these people.
(About) 600–588 B. C.: Lehi, along with his own family and a small group of people from another family of a man named Ishmael who was living in Jerusalem (of the tribe of Ephraim [Joseph]), leave the city of Jerusalem and the kingdom of Judah all together. The Mulekites were another group of people separate from Lehi (primarily of the tribe of Judah: Mulek being a son of the late king Zedekiah) who were commanded to leave (Omni 1). These two groups are examples of how the Lord has, from time to time, led groups of Israelites into other parts of the world.
587 B. C.: The kingdom of Judah is conquered and brought into captivity by the Babylonian empire. During this time, Judah was caught in the middle of a power struggle between Egypt and Babylon. The king of Judah, Jehoahaz was taken to Egypt. There, his half brother was given a throne and the name Jehoiakim. Babylon defeated the Egyptians in 605 B.C. and, thus, Judah became the new property of their conquerors. Jehoiskim paid tribute to Babylon for three years before unsuccessfully attempting to free his people. The rebel king was killing, and many of his people were exiled to Babylon. His son Jehoiachin reigned but was soon exiled for similar rebellion. His uncle Zedekiah took the throne. Zedekiah through the pressure of his people sought reinforcement by the Egyptians to further rebel against their common captors. The Babylonians eventually returned with a swift vengeance against Judah. Jerusalem was besieged and other fortresses in the land of Judah were attacked and reduced to rubble. The conditions at this time were almost beyond imagination. Upon the Babylonian assault, king Zedekiah fled for safety, but was soon captured and brought before Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. There, the sons of king Zedekiah [ all except Mulek] were slain in his presence. After, Zedekiah himself was blinded and dragged off in chains.
“Jerusalem had. . . passed into Babylonian hands. What the Babylonians found in the city, and what they did to what they found does not require a very fertile imagination. At the same time, somewhat surprisingly, there seems not to have been any prior decision as to what should be done with the city when it fell. For a month further horrors and indignities were visited upon the sorely tried people, who must have believed that they were indeed abandoned by God himself. Then Nebuzaradan, chief of Nebuchadnezzar’s bodyguard and thus a person of considerable importance, arrived in Jerusalem. Nebuzaradan was not a herald of good news. Upon his orders high officials of the state, and with them certain leading persons in various professions, were taken to Riblah, the Syrian headquarters, where they were executed. Others were herded together to be taken into exile in Babylonia. Jeremiah 52:29 mentions the number 832. But this doubtless refers only to adult males and likely only to inhabitants of Jerusalem. The number of deportees was much larger. Finally the walls of Jerusalem were leveled, and what remained after a year and a half of siege, and a month of occupation and terror brought by Nebuzaradan, was put to the torch.
“Not for the last time smoke hung heavy over the Judean hills and blew gently across the Mount of Olives and toward the wilderness near the Jordan. But on that day, in the heat of the summer of 587, it rose from Judah’s funeral pyre.”
517 B. C.: In further fulfillment of prophesy (Isa. 44:28, 45:1), Cyrus, the king of Persia, conquers Babylon and allows the Jews to return to their land. Josephus states:
Elder James E. Talmage said about the kingdom of Judah after their return from Babylon: “The people, then commonly known as Hebrews, or Jews retained as the name of their nation the appellation “Israel,” though they scarcely comprised two complete tribes out of the twelve.” Although the great majority of Israel was lost, this is the reason why the Jews are commonly referred to as “only” Israel when the word in all truth references to all 12 tribes as a whole. Even though Cyrus had allowed for the Jews to return to Jerusalem, many of them chose to remain in Babylon. “This was the first time since the Exodus that Jews had chosen to live outside Israel. Later, the communities of Jews scattered outside Israel became known as the Diaspora.” The Jewish nation modified from being “a temple–centered religion to tone focusing on the synagogue; from one with an organized priesthood to one with rabbis not claiming any priesthood; from sacrifices in the temple to a religious life centered around the synagogue, study, and prayer. In subsequent cultures came the Pharisees, who wanted the law directly accessible to the common people. They resisted the idea that one must be a member of the temple priesthood to the study the law, and they interpreted the scriptures liberally. The Sadducees, on the other hand, represented the ‘establishment,’ including the temple priesthood and the aristocracy. Their more conservative views centered around the temple, the priesthood, and exact application of the Mosaic Law. A third faction, the Essenes, who inhabited the desert settlement called Qumran and authored the Dead Sea Scrolls, rejected both of the other groups, tracing their authority back to Zadok, David’s high priest.”
During this period, known as the Hellenistic period, “Alexander the Great of Macedonia conquered the Persians in 331 B.C., and Judah came under his control. Alexander and his successors, the Ptolemies in Egypt and the Seleucids in Syria, brought Hellenistic (Greek) culture to the Jews. The Jews were allowed to follow their own religion. But in 168 or 167 B.C., King Antiochus IV of Syria tried to stop the practice of Judaism. The Jews, led by the warrior Judah Maccabee, revolted and overthrew the Syrians. The holiday of Hanukkah celebrates their victory. Judah Maccabee's family, the Hasmoneans, established an independent state that lasted about 80 years.” Under the Hasmonean rule the three factions of Judaism–the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes–came under development.
This was the nature of Judah up until the time of Jesus Christ. This time in considered to be a great Jewish apostasy, “in fact, the Lord has brought the same indictment against churches of our day as he did against Judah of his own time (Compare JS–H 1:19 with Matt. 15:8–9.)”
1 B. C. (4 B. C.) – 33 (34) A. D. (30 A. D.): The birth and ministry of the Messiah (King of kings) of the tribe of Judah. Jesus Christ is called the holy One of Israel. He is the true King of Israel. He is the one who originally made the Covenant with Abraham, as Jehovah, the God Israel and of the Old Testament. At the time of Jesus, the Jewish religion governed under the Mosaic Law was not a seamless whole but consisted of several sects, the Pharisees and Sadducees being the most influential.
“In 63 B.C., the Romans conquered Judah, which they called Judea. Roman rule was generally harsh. The most famous ruler of Judea during this time, Herod the Great, is known for both his ruthlessness and his building activities. Jesus was a Jew who was born in Judea. The Romans executed Jesus because they thought he was a threat to their rule. Jesus' followers, who came to be called Christians, believed that God sent Jesus to the world as the Messiah (Savior). Most Jews kept their traditional beliefs and did not accept Jesus as the Messiah.”
During His earthly mission, Christ only ministered to His people Israel (Matt. 15:24), not the world. Some have shown their misunderstanding of the Jewish faith solely from the idea of the seeming segregation God plays among His children, i.e. the “choosing” of one lineage of Israel over another. But idealistically, unbeknownst to many, the Savior Himself in many ways followed a similar order of “segregation” by only ministering unto the people of Israel; and, thus, entrusting the rest of the world to be ministered to by His special witnesses and manifested to by His Holy Spirit (3 Ne. 15:22–23).
“The Pharisiac Jews who prided themselves in their knowledge of law and tradition were fervent in their rejection of Jesus. What did he mean, they wondered, when he said he had tried to gather the children of Israel in the past? They didn’t understand that the God at Sinai, the Holy One of Israel, was Jesus Christ, that observance of the law of Moses was to prepare them and point them to Christ. (See Matt. 5:17–18; John 5:46–47.) They were expecting a mighty king–Messiah to come and release them from political bondage under the Romans; not understanding the freedom the Lord offered, they rejected him as the true Messiah.”
Christ said to the Jews (the tribe of Judah) that He had other sheep to visit (John 10:16). When Christ personally visited the Nephites, in the Americas, He told them that they were whom He was speaking of when He said what He said to the Jews concerning the “other sheep” (3 Ne. 15:16–23). He also told them that He was going to visit the rest of the tribes of the house of Israel (3 Ne. 17:4) though still lost to the world. This scripture indicates that at this time and soon after, all of the scattered tribes of Israel knew the Christ and knew who they were in relation to Him and the Abrahamic Covenant.
70 A. D.: The Jews are conquered again–this time by the Roman empire. Many are killed and many more are also eventually scattered throughout the world.
“The Jews revolted in A.D. 66 and drove out the Romans for a time. But in 70, the Roman general Titus conquered Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple, and took many Jewish captives to Rome. The Western, or Wailing, Wall in Jerusalem is all that remains of the Temple. Some Jews, called Zealots, refused to surrender even after Jerusalem fell. Many Zealots retreated to a mountain fortress called Masada, where 960 men, women, and children held out for three years. As the Romans were about to conquer the fortress, the defenders supposedly committed suicide rather than surrender. Under the spiritual leadership of the scholar Rabbi Akiva Baer ben Joseph, a warrior named Simeon Bar Kokhba led the Jews to rebel again in 132 and seize Jerusalem. In 135, the Romans crushed this final rebellion.”
Further in their history, called the Talmudic period, “after the defeat of Bar Kokhba, the Romans prohibited Jews from living in Jerusalem. New centers of Jewish learning arose in Galilee, an area in northern Palestine; and in Babylonia. The Sanhedrin, the Jews' religious lawmaking body, met in Galilee. In about 200, the head of the Sanhedrin, Rabbi Judah ha–Nasi, wrote down the oral law in a book called the Mishnah. From about 200 to 500, other scholars collected interpretations of the Mishnah into a work called the Gemara. The Mishnah and the Gemara together form the Talmud. Two versions of the Talmud were created, one in Galilee (the Palestinian or Jerusalem Talmud) and the other in Babylonia (The Babylonian Talmud). For many centuries, Jews throughout the world turned to the Babylonian Jewish community for religious and scholarly leadership. Jews sent questions of law and interpretation to scholars at Babylonian academies called yeshivas. The greatest such scholar, Saadia Gaon, lived in the late 800's and early 900's.”
Speaking on the great extent of the scattering of Israel, Brigham Young said:
The Lord has said: “For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve. . .” (Amos 9:9, italics added).
THE SECOND GATHERING.
The gathering of Israel can in reality, as well as for simplicity, be categorized into three main gatherings: 1.) The gathering of the Jews to Jerusalem. 2.) The gathering of scattered Israel (primarily Ephraim) out from among the nations. More commonly we refer to this as missionary work performed by the Elders of Israel. 3.) The return of the lost tribes as an entire body from the lands of the north (D&C 133).
President Harold B. Lee has said:
This is God’s divine work and His divine kingdom. It is He Who prepares all that is to happen in His kingdom, especially the gathering of His own people. The Lord is firm as He speaks through His prophet Jeremiah: “ Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together; a great company shall return thither. They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them; I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way wherein they shall not stumble; for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my first–born” (Jer. 31:8–9).
Elder LeGrand Richards spoke of this:
“Jesus told the Nephites in the Book of Mormon that the ultimate scattering of Israel would be so extensive that when they were finally gathered, it would be from the east, west, south, and north (3 Ne. 20:13). Further, the Lord told Ezekiel that the house of Israel would eventually be gathered from all countries (Ezek. 36:24).”
“In addition to prophecies of scattering, destruction, captivity, and lost promises, prophets foretold of a day of restoration–a day when scattered Israel would come back to their God, and the covenant would be reestablished (1 Ne. 22:7–12, 2 Ne. 10:6–7, 3 Ne. 5:24–26, Isa. 11:10–16, Ezek. 36–37). They would be blessed, prospered, and eventually gathered back to the land [and peculiar status] of their inheritance.”
This mighty gathering of Israel for the second time will be an absolute magnificent event. The book of Jeremiah tells us: “Therefore, 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” (Jer. 16:14–15). Imagine the greatness of this event–it will actually alter the panoptic process of Judeo–Christian thought.
Joseph Smith has said:
The Prophet’s nephew Joseph F. Smith has stated:
Therefore, this second gathering begins with a mighty prophet and seer named Joseph Smith (2 Ne. 3:14–15) who is of the birthright tribe of Ephraim. Of the magnitude and eminence of Joseph Smith’s mission, people were known to have asked him and “(it had happened hundred of times), ‘Who are you?’ He replied, ‘Noah came before the flood. I have come before the fire.’”
Joseph Smith’s lineage is very interesting and prophetically important. Even though Brigham Young said that Joseph Smith “was a pure Ephraimite” (JD 2:268) his ancestry is worth taking a little deeper look. In the book of Isaiah 11:1 it speaks of “a rod out of the stem of Jesse. . .” In verse 10 of the same chapter it speaks of “a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.” In the Doctrine & Covenants section 113, it answers certain questions on these writings of this chapter in the book of Isaiah. In this section, the Lord makes it moderately clear who the rod, Stem, and root of Jesse are. These answers only begin to unfold new information on the lineage of Joseph Smith. In D&C 113:1-2, the Lord clearly says that “the Stem of Jesse” is Christ. In verses 3 and 4, the Lord explains that the rod spoken of in the first verse of the 11th chapter of Isaiah “is a servant in the hands of Christ, who is partly a descendant of Jesse as well as of Ephraim, or the house of Joseph, on whom there is laid much power” (italics added). Similarly, in verses 5 and 6, the Lord states that the root of Jesse “is a descendant of Jesse, as well as of Joseph, unto whom rightly belongs the priesthood, and the keys of the kingdom, for an ensign, and for the gathering of my people in the last days” (italics added).
In the Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual it states:
This “servant in the hands of Christ,” who is a descendant of Jesse and of Joseph is the Prophet Joseph Smith. What is interesting from these D&C passages is that we learn that Joseph Smith is, therefore, partly of Jewish descent, as it speaks of him being a descendant of Jesse. Jesse was the father of the Jewish king David, being of the lines of Judah. Hoyt Brewster, a known professor at various universities including BYU and a known writer of the Church, in his book Isaiah Plain and Simple further explains the “rod” and “root of Jesse:”
This makes the prophet Joseph Smith from both the two great tribes in Israel, although he is usually referred only to the tribe of Joseph through Ephraim.
Israel’s son Joseph prophesied of this latter day “Joseph” [Smith] in 2 Nephi chapter 3. In this chapter of the Book of Mormon, the prophet Lehi is teaching his son Joseph out of the brass plates which had been obtained earlier by his older sons in Jerusalem prior to traveling to the destined promise land. These brass plates are a somewhat close equivalent to our Old Testament (comprising roughly from Genesis through Jeremiah), excluding many other scriptures which are not found in our modern day version of the Bible. Lehi quotes the words of their great Patriarch ancestor Joseph to his son. He tells of a great man to be raised up unto the house of Israel, bringing a salvation through a restoration. This great man will be a direct descendant of Joseph and is to actually bear his same name. All this information was at a time contained within the Bible, just as Lehi was once referring to it; but, is now lost to the modern world. In the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, the Prophet oseph Smith brings back to light this missing part of scripture. This is now contained in the 50th chapter of the book of Genesis. As we mentioned before, the Bible came forth by means of the tribe of Judah. Perhaps this original scripture was taken out by scribes from this tribe once they had realized that their northern–kingdom enemy of the tribe of Joseph would at one future day do a great work, being highly favored of the Lord.
Not only do we have this passage of scripture restored for us in the JST, but this great latter–day descendant of Joseph is also found in other ecclesiastical and secular Jewish writings and traditions. According to tradition, a man who is called the Messiah ben Joseph will appear in the latter days, preparing the way for the coming of the even greater Messiah ben David. Now the word Messiah literally means, “the anointed one” and ben means, “son of.” In the latter days, the anointed One, Son of David (which is here referring inextricably to Jesus Christ) will appear unto the whole world. Jesus Christ is scripturally and prophetically noted as the great descendant of king David. But before this anointed One, son (descendant) of David will appear, an anointed one, son of Joseph, will arise. This tradition has been referred to as the dual–Messiah. A professor from Hebrew University named Dr. Joseph Klausner has written a book called The Messianic Idea in Israel and is found referring to this Jewish dual–Messiah concept. It is a most fascinating idea and only further draws light upon the issue at hand. Dr. Klausner has said, “the Messianic idea was one of the fundamental causes of its being composed both of political and of spiritual longings, which blended and became a unity.” He tells us that “this second Messiah” is called by the Samaritans “son of Joseph” or “son of Ephraim.” The legend further says that this Messiah has even been called Ta b which means “he who returns” or by others “‘he who causes to return,’ that is, one who brings about repentance or brings back better days.” This [second] Messiah is “regarded primarily as a prophet who will restore everywhere the true Law to its former validity...” This is in Jewish tradition. It is speaking of the great establishment and the beginning of the return of Israel. Now, according to pure reason, of which we can only use in this instance, one could easily place the great prophet Joseph Smith as this anointed one, son of Joseph, the great restorer of Israel, and the great preparer of the holy Messiah, the anointed One, son of David. This only strengthens the points made from 2 Nephi chapter 3.
Now it seems, independent of doctrine, that because of the birthright, those descending from the tribe of Joseph will respond first to the gospel message, then taking it to the rest of Israel. It is interesting to note of the significant connections between the actual blood flowing through the veins of the tribe of Ephraim–which would dictate lineage–and its influence upon spiritual desires and capacity. Earnestly diving into such concepts as this will spring up the questions leading to deep and profound spiritual realizations concerning the physical doctrine of Israel with all its blessings and responsibilities as a literal people and a race rather than Israel as just another Judeo–Christian Biblical idea or concept.
It is interesting to note that the majority of church membership now is primarily of the lineage of Ephraim. This is evidence of that first response of the tribe of Ephraim to the gospel. So much of the tribe of Ephraim resides in dominant Gentile nations according to a political and geographical sense. Knowing this, we can see and understand prophecies being fulfilled such as the one which states that the “first shall be last; and the last shall be first” (Matt. 19:30). This has been understood that in the early Church (or “first” Church referring to before the apostasy), the house of Israel (or those of Israel living in a nation that is dominated by the house of Israel) had the responsibility of taking the gospel to the Gentiles. But now in the modern church (or “last” church referring to as after the apostasy), the Gentiles (or those of Israel living in a nation dominated by the Gentiles) will have the responsibility of taking the gospel to the rest of Israel. Book of Mormon passages such as those found in 1 Nephi chapter 22 explain that in the last days “the Lord has lifted his hand upon the Gentiles and set them up for a standard” (1 Ne. 22).
Anciently, when the two kingdoms separated, as before mentioned, they were bitter enemies. In the last days through the gathering both the leading tribes of these two kingdoms–Ephraim and Judah–will be confidants as a people again. They will begin to assist each other in the work of the Lord and for the establishment of Zion, preparatory to receive their Messiah for the second time (Isa. 11:13).
In the last days, Ephraim has the “responsibility” of gathering the rest of the tribes together and reminding them of the Covenant that God has made with their fathers (1 Ne. 22). Ephraim’s main tool to do this great work is the Book of Mormon, the record kept through it’s own lineage (Joseph). The message of the Book of Mormon is the Israel was scattered for rejecting Christ and will therefore be gathered by accepting Him (1 Ne. 15–19; 2 Ne. 6, 10, 25, 29, 30, 33; 3 Ne. 20–22; Ether 13). The great of gathering of Israel is completely dependent upon a renewed and firm belief in Christ. Joseph Fielding McConkie has said:
President Joseph Fielding Smith stated:
This is done by none other than missionary work, as it was in the days of old. This scale of missionary work will be an extraordinary event–unlike ever in the history of all the earth. It will a spiritually aggressive commission. “Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks” (Jer. 16:16).
“This is the promise.” Bruce R. McConkie declares, “Such of the gathering of Israel as has come to pass so far is but a gleam of a star that soon will be hidden by the splendor of the sun in full blaze; truly, the magnitude and grandeur and glory of the gathering is yet to be.”
Now comes the question to the exact whereabouts of the lost tribes of Israel. The truthful answer is actually quite easy, plain and simple. They are lost! No man truly knows the definite locations of all scattered Israel. That is why they have been deemed as lost.
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Before continuing, a vital principle needs to be brought up here. This principle must not only be used in connection with the current teaching, but with everything taught within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–day Saints. It is more of an absolute prerequisite for any attempt of serious gospel study and fundamental understanding. Many people forget and overlook its importance. The concept here is the uncompromising difference between what is doctrine and what is not. Doctrine is only known by direct revelation from God. This Church is exclusively based on this revealing of heavenly instruction and knowledge (D&C 1:30). Jesus stated that, “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matt 4:4); and, therefore, “ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Free from what? Well, free from confusion, misunderstanding, anything that originates from the imperfections and fallibilities of man. This is a great elimination of burden, knowing that all we need to be concerned about is truth... nothing else.
Jesus, in the New Testament, gave Peter the keys and authority for receiving revelation, speaking with heaven face-to-face, the receiving of doctrine. On this occasion Peter was informed (Matt. 16:18-19) that his sacred office, as described by the Savior, was the “rock” and foundation (Eph. 2:20) of the Church; and this due to its mandate to receive revelation. Thus, if God has revealed information to his prophets, seers, and revelators, it will be flawless and strictly designated as pure doctrine (or scripture). These doctrines are not just for the whole Church alone, but for the world in its entirety, though the world may esteem it as nothing. They will find themselves judged by it.
A prophet is not perfect by any means of the word. He is only a man. But his calling is perfect in every way. This is because his calling is given of God (Heb. 5:4); and God is perfect (3 Nephi 12:48). When a prophet speaks as a prophet according to his calling, he is merely stating or restating what he has seen, felt, or heard as given him by God. This is scripture. In light of this, God cannot ever give opinion because an opinion only exists when there is a lack of full truth; and God does not lack truth. He embraces and embodies all of it (John 14:6). When God speaks, it is always and only truth.
Consider the other case of scripture. It is when one [anyone] “shall speak as they are moved upon by the Holy Ghost. And whatsoever they shall speak. . . shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation” (D&C 68:4). Of course this “personal revelation” from God would never be inconsistent with the doctrines already set forth, “for God is not the author of confusion,” (1 Cor. 14:33). In addition, this revealed knowledge is only for the person receiving it, or if otherwise directed to anyone whom they preside over, whether it be a particular Church calling or within their own family. But it is for those who are under their jurisdiction. The receiving and giving of revelation must always be in accordance with the prescribed order God has given for it (D&C 28:1-2, 4). No one can receive revelation for the whole Church, but he who presides over it, the President (or the prophet).
Now, the antithesis is that if knowledge is not gained by direct revelation from God, it is that which is not of direct revelation from God. It is as simple as that. This other category is known as opinion or theory; and it originates exclusively from man and his limited interpretations. Therefore, there are only two classifications of knowledge recognized within the Church: the things we “know” (doctrine) and the things we “think” (opinion). It is true that a prophet, as the revealer of doctrine, is entitled with every other man in that he can present his own opinions. But our faith is safe knowing that God will never let us be led astray by the theories of men in the matters of eternal consequence, even if it comes from His chosen prophets. The Lord has also assured us when He made it known unto the Apostle Peter that “no prophecy of the scriptures is given of any private will of man” (JST 2 Pet. 1:20-21). In concurrence to this truth, President Harold B. Lee has stated:
Again, only because of its importance to this subject, there is doctrine (the Church) and there is opinion (the People). This Church is built on doctrine, not opinion. If diligently sought after, the Holy Ghost (John 14:26) will interpret the difference between the two. “He that receiveth the word by the Spirit of truth receiveth it as it is preached by the Spirit of truth” (D&C 50:21). Joseph Fielding Smith once put this into a simple disposition when he said, “The doctrines [revelations] of false teachers will not stand the test when tried by the accepted standards of measurement, the scriptures.”
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Thus, returning to the situation of the lost tribes: our perceptual knowledge of them can be put into the two categories. 1st (doctrine): They are lost [to the knowledge of man, but “they are not lost unto the Father, for he knoweth whither he hath taken them” (3 Ne. 17:4).] 2nd (opinion): (as will be presented in the following list below) The distinction between the two categories in connection with the “lost tribes” doctrine must be known, thus to eliminate any confusion.
“Where [the Lost Ten Tribes] went is not known, and this fact has led to much speculation about their present whereabouts. The Lord has not seen fit to reveal their location, however, and until he does so, it is useless to try to identify their present locality.”
THE THEORIES.
Now, I wish to provide a very brief list of the known theories concerning the lost tribes of Israel. I do this only because these are interesting and at most entertaining. The theories of the whereabouts of scattered Israel have been sought for many centuries. Any excitation of possible validity produced by these theories ought to be eliminated. It is rather foolish to readily accept any of these, as many references to the lost tribes of Israel can be easily found associated with such ideas as U.F.O.s, conspiracies, and other such nonsense. As the doctrine was explained before, Israel is lost to the world. Their whereabouts are unknown. Many of the assumed explanations (as listed below) in regards to the location of Israel were apparently given to private audiences and attributed to Joseph Smith as the source. Yet, it must be remembered that the Prophet once said: “I have taught all the strong doctrines publicly, and always teach stronger doctrines in public than in private.” As simply stated by Bruce R. McConkie, “If we knew where the Lost Tribes were, they would not be lost.”
Gerald N. Lund reinforced this:
A research paper written at BYU (1958–1959) by Walt Whipple offers some interesting insights:
Now we know through other scriptures besides within the Bible that the ten tribes are “lost” to mankind (1 Ne. 22:3; 3 Ne. 15:15, 17:4). The above citation is intended to merely show that theory and speculation has really gotten the best of interest within the subject. So vast is the intrigue of the lost tribes that it alone in information can easily be taught and studied in total segregation from the actual doctrine of Israel and the Abrahamic Covenant. Before presenting a brief list of lost tribe theories, I wish to begin with these two very candid scriptures explaining the dispersal and return of the lost tribes. Since this is scripture, it is automatically categorized as doctrine. I thought it proper to begin with these since they are very significant to the gathering of Israel, as well as being used many times by authors, scholars, and theologians in offering validity to their differing opinions. These, like other scriptures can be interpreted and explained by the Spirit to an individual for a more elaborate view. Pertaining to these passages, the actual whereabouts, whens, and hows are usually what develops the differing theories.
Doctrine and Covenants 133:20–35:
The other scripture of import is found in the Apocryphal writings of Esdras. The Apocrypha is known as scripture, but must still be read and studied under close direction from the Holy Ghost (D&C 91).
2 Esdras 13:40–47 (KJV):
Arsareth, as noted by the prophet Esdras, has been simply referred to as the north lands. In fact, in Hebrew it means “another land.” Where exactly this location is can only be understood by speculation. Nonetheless, Elder Bruce R. McConkie has said of the house of Israel that “In their northward journeyings they were led by prophets and inspired leaders. They had their Moses and their Lehi, were guided by the spirit of revelation, kept the law of Moses, and carried with them the statutes and judgments which the Lord had given them in age past. They were still a distinct people many hundreds of years late r, fr the resurrected Lord visited and ministered among them following his ministry on this continent among the Nephites. (3 Ne. 16:1-4; 17:4.) Obviously he taught them in the same way and gave them the same truths which he gave his followers in Jerusalem and on the American continent; and obviously they recorded his teachings, thus creating volumes of scripture comparable to the Bible and Book of Mormon. (2 Ne. 29:12-14.)” This map [to the upper right] is of possible route taken by the ten tribes into the land of Arsareth. It is taken from The Lost Tribes by R. Clayton Brough.
1. The Dispersion Theory. The dispersion theory is definitely the most popular among the Church. Even within this very theory there has arisen separation and difference of opinion. Much of it due to the various perceptions. So much of this theory deals with lineage, descent, and bloodlines. The collective perception of lineage within the Church has changed throughout its history due largely to what society deems as “politically correct.” Situations of this matter respecting either doctrine or any common practice happen all the time. It’s really quite inevitable as ideals fit such a modification of how people think.
Respected scholar Armand L. Mauss has noted:
Armand L. Mauss is merely expressing the difference in the teachings of the lineage of the house of Israel. To the face–value fact of his statement, I could not agree more. The discourse’s of the Church on this subject have drastically changed over the many years. Mauss continues by explaining how the Mormon Church is now on the same page with other Evangelical churches in that it teaches primarily a universalistic position, meaning that there is no separation and peculiar Israelite pedigree (2 Ne 26:33); that all, once accepting Christ, are Abraham’s children and heirs to the covenant of salvation. Doctrinally this is true, yet, I believe he has missed touching on some rather important points still as important now as they were in the early days of the Church. Another renowned scholar, Arnold H. Green, notes that this early Church debate was launched on account of the opinion difference of Brigham Young, as an advocate of lineage and Orson Pratt, as an advocate of universalism.
Green notes that the:
The Church not only now, but has always taught the universal acceptance of every race of man. All good men are accepted of Christ and when they come into His Church they are among Israel. The Church has always taught as did the apostle Paul that once a man or woman has accepted Christ they are accounted as the children of Abraham (read together Gal. 3:7, 9, 14, 16, 22, 26–29 & TPJS, page 149–150). Joseph Smith repeatedly taught this even as much now as present day prophets. It must be understood that in the early days of the Church both the clergy [a lay–clergy] and laity alike were similar in the number of years they possessed in membership. If one doctrine [and its accompanying opinions] was taught, both teacher and student received it and together understood it anew. As the church grows in converts and in mass number it now has an average of about six years in membership. Thus, official discourse is going to be in the form of milk even if it appears as a changing consideration. The fundamental necessities are what is needed for all the members, especially those of recent conversion. Official discourse covers doctrine, but not all known doctrine. If an individual desires more than what is being officially taught, it is he that needs to cook his own meat from the scriptures. Perhaps perceptions have changed concerning the doctrines of Israel from earlier days in the Church. But are we really to suggest that the very doctrines have been diminished over the years, especially Israel’s distinction as a people and as a nation? Sure, not all the doctrines of the house of Israel are now as evident as they were once explained in the Old Testament. Such major revelatory changes such as the Gentiles now having the blessings of full fellowship among them (Acts 10) and the children of Ham now having the full rights to the priesthood (Official Declaration 2) have definitely alleviated much of how ancient Israel once viewed itself. Nonetheless, many unfulfilled prophecies have been declared referring to the distinctiveness of the house of Israel and as to how their great gathering is to come. This is why many times we refer to Old Testament teachings in anticipation of this crucial latter–day work. Jehovah told Israel, the same Israel that was to be scattered, that He would gather them in as a nation, distinct, special, and separate.
James H. Anderson explains Israel as a nation and not only as a universalistic concept:
Now, are the characteristics of the previous quotation different to the Israel of the modern days? Most all of them are in the fashion of future prophetic fulfillment. Not only did the great apostle Paul teach universalism (as Mauss referred to) but he also understood and specifically taught the doctrine of distinction and separation, especially in regards to the “literal seed” (Abr. 2:11) of Abraham (TPJS, pages 149–150) which, scripturally, is the Lord’s Church.
“And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion [Zion] the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this [is] my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. As concerning the gospel, [they are] enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, [they are] beloved for the fathers' sakes” (Rom. 11:26–28, italics added).
“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2 Cor. 6:17–18, italics added).
“According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated [preordained] us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:” (Eph. 4–9, italics added)
The great covenant which was made to father Abraham was to continue through the righteousness of the literal seed of his body; therefore, salvation is only in Abraham’s seed. Converted gentiles are considered as numbered among the house of Israel (1 Ne. 14:1–2; 2 Ne. 6:12, 10:18, 26:12, 30:2, 33:9; 3 Ne. 16:6–7, 13, 21:6, 20–25, 30:1–2; Mor. 3:17, 5:9–10; Eth. 2:11; 4:13; Abr. 2:10). Recall the scripture used in the beginning of this essay explaining how “God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem” (Gen. 9:27). This is saying that God will make the Gentiles large in number; and that it is they who need the consoling gospel coverage from within the tents of God’s people. Perhaps, the two branches of thought are merely a matter of interpretation. (See “The Gentiles” section for further explanation.)
As we continue, the famous search for and the various discoveries of the lost ten tribes have captivated men of different faiths for many centuries. True it is, that the Bible mentioned not of the ten tribes as lost. We know of them now as lost from other sources of scripture. But the “lost” concept at large began one way to interest the public by famous supposed visitations in medieval times of descendants from these “lost” tribes. The story of greatest popularity occurred in the year 883. A man named in the Hebrew Eldad Ha–Dani, Eldad the Danite, appeared in Kairouan, now a city in Tunisia. He spoke to the local Jews of the city in a strange sort of Hebrew. He explained that his language is still spoken by members of the biblical tribe of Dan, who had emigrated from their territory soon after the death of King Solomon, first to Egypt then farther up the Nile, to avoid the deadly warfare between Judah and Israel. He said that they resided in tents along side the other exiled tribes of Naphtali, Gad, and Asher in the “land of Havilah” near “the seven kings of Cush”–the biblical name for Ethiopia. These four tribes were continually at war with the seven kings, each tribe fighting for three months a year while the others farmed their fields and tended their flocks. Their warriors rested only on the Sabbath and charged into battle on horseback, with the cry, “Salvation is from God for all the brave tribes of Jeshurun, selah!” Eldad further explained that adjacent to the four tribes resided “the Sons of Moses,” descendants of the priests and Levites who had served in the temple in Jerusalem.
There have been some great discoveries, as well as much use of logic and reason to suggest that the majority of the lost tribes may have resided across the continent of Europe. There is way too much information from a variety of sources to establish a very creditable theory. This is the fundament of the dispersion theory. It maintains that lost Israel is not lost in any particular location but lost as to their identity. An interesting statement [of opinion] was made by “President Anthony W. Ivans, in a General Conference sermon in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, October 3, 1926 [when he said], ‘The thought is becoming almost universal in the British Isles that Israel (the Ten Tribes) is there, where we have always known them to be.’ Notice how he used the word “thought.” This statement is in strict accord to a very renowned theory of the time (early 1900's) called British Israelitism (or Israelism), which states that the Anglo–Saxon people are much of the literal descendants of the ancient house of Israel. It is rather interesting, anyhow, to note that the greater number of converts to the Church in its early days came from England; and that the Lord had sent many of the early missionaries there. It is also interesting to note, that IF much of the tribe of Ephraim resides in England and other European countries, then the pilgrims and other early American settlers who came over from these European countries and inhabited this land are then logically of the tribe of Ephraim. This, therefore, makes the majority of us as Americans and as descendants of these founding fathers of the tribe of Ephraim, the birthright tribe. This is where substantial reason leads to this theory’s wide acceptance among the Church.
Interestingly, a notable scripture even states that “the woman [symbolized as the church of God prior to the great apostasy] were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might flee into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent” (Rev. 12:14). The church of God is said to have fled into the wilderness or in other words people “shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it” (Amos 8:12). Perhaps, John upon the isle of Patmos has obscurely given an actual location of where the church of God fled to [or will eventually be established in future times], signifying the placement of Israel in modern times: the “two wings of a great eagle.”
Even in early Church records the comparison can be seen of the minimal converts in southern Europe opposed to great increase in the northern and western (Isa. 49:12) regions of Europe due apparently to what has been coined the “believing blood” of Israel. Furthermore, many scriptures indicate that the lost tribes were scattered not just in the British Isles and the European countries, but throughout “all countries” and “all nations” (Gen. 28:14, 49:22; Lev. 26:33; Deut. 4:27, 28:29, 64, 30:3, 33:17; Neh. 1:8; Ps. 44:11; Isa. 1:7, 11:11, 36:1, 49:12; Jer. 3:12, 3:18, 4:29, 5:19, 9:16, 16:13–15, 17:4, 23:8, 29:18, 31:8; Ezek. 5:10, 6:8, 11:15–17, 12:15, 17:4, 17:22, 20:23, 22:15, 34:13, 37:21; Hosea 9:16–17; Dan. 9:7; Amos 6:7, 9:9; Zech. 2:6, 7:14, 10:9, 10:10; Matt. 15:24, 24:16; Luke 21:24; John 10:16; Rom. 11:20; 1 Ne. 10:3, 10:12, 13:14, 19:16, 21:12, 22:3–4; 2 Ne. 3:5, 10:22, 25:15; Jacob 5:8; Omni 15; Hel. 6:10, 8:21; 3 Ne. 5:23–24, 16:8, 20:13, 21:26–29, 28:29; Ether 13:7, 13:11; D&C 45:19, 109:67, 110:11, 113:10, 133:26–32). Now to me that seems to eliminate any confusion. Let us look just briefly at a few of these references. The Book of Mormon prophet Nephi precisely states: “for it appears that the house of Israel, sooner or later, will be scattered upon all the face of the earth, and also among all nations” (1 Ne. 22:3, italic added). His brother Jacob further states in pure clarity: “And it shall come to pass that they [Israel] shall be gathered in from their long dispersion, from the isles of the sea, and from the four parts of the earth;” (2 Ne. 10:8). Jacob later even graciously defines what composes the “isles of the sea” by explaining that he and his people “are upon an isle of the sea” (2 Ne. 10:20) even though they resided upon the great continent of the western hemisphere. “According to a quotation by Reynolds and Sjodahl, ‘Sir Isaac Newton observes that to the Hebrews the continents of Asia and Africa were “the earth,” because they had access to them by land, while parts of the earth to which they sailed over the sea were “the isles of the sea”’ (Commentary on the Book of Mormon, 1:214). This now gives quite the understanding as to why the Hebrew prophet Isaiah explained that the house of Israel will be gathered “from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea” (Isa. 11:11, italics added). Moses even told the people of Israel: “And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other” (Deut. 28:64, italics added).
Even James, the Lord’s brother, addresses his epistle “to the twelve tribes scattered abroad” (James 1:1). Mormon also writes “unto all the ends of the earth; yea, unto you, twelve tribes of Israel” (Morm. 3:18). Joseph Smith taught that “sealing the one hundred and forty–four thousand, out of all the tribes of Israel” were “they who are ordained out of every nation, kindred, tongue, and people” (D&C 77:11).
Bruce R. McConkie wrote:
“There is something mysterious and fascinating about believing the Ten Tribes are behind an iceberg somewhere in the land of the north, or that they are on some distant planet that will one day join itself with the earth, or that the tribe of Dan is in Denmark the tribe of Reuben in Russia, and so forth. A common cliche asserts: "If we knew where the Lost Tribes were, they would not be lost." True it is that they are lost from the knowledge of the world; they are not seen and recognized as the kingdom they once were; but in general terms, their whereabouts is known. They are scattered in all the nations of the earth, primarily in the nations north of the lands of their first inheritance.”
In the Journal of Discourses, vol. 10, page 188, Brigham Young says concerning the tribe of Ephraim as one of the lost tribes:
“The sons of Ephraim are wild and uncultivated, unruly, ungovernable. The Spirit in them is turbulent and resolute; they are the Anglo–Saxon race, and they are upon the face of the whole earth, bearing the spirit of rule and dictation, to go forth from conquering to conquer.”
After Brigham Young gave the preceding statement concerning this Anglo–Saxon race, he went on to say that, “I see a congregation of them before me today,” referring to the 19th century Saints he was speaking to.
Perhaps, a brief secular history on the Anglo–Saxon people might be of good use here.
Anglo–Saxon is the:
"name given to the Germanic–speaking peoples who settled in England after the decline of Roman rule there. They were first invited by the Celtic King Vortigern, who needed help fighting the Picts and Scots. The Angles (Lat. Angli), who are mentioned in Tacitus’ Germania, seem to have come from what is now Schleswig in the later decades of the 5th cent. Their settlements in the eastern, central, and northern portions of the country were the foundations for the later kingdoms known as East Anglia, Mercia, and Northumbria. The Saxons, a Germanic tribe who had been continental neighbors of the Angles, also settled in England in the late 5th cent. after earlier marauding forays there. The later kingdoms of Sussex, Wessex, and Essex were the outgrowths of their settlements. The Jutes, a tribe about whom very little is known except that they probably came from the area around the mouths of the Rhine, settled in Kent, and the Isle of Wight. The Anglo–Saxons eventually formed seven separate kingdoms known as the heptarchy. The term “Anglo–Saxons” was first used in Continental Latin sources to distinguish the Saxons in England from those on the Continent, but it soon came to mean simply the “English.” The more specific use of the term to denote the non-Celtic settlers of England prior to the Norman Conquest dates from the 16th cent. In more modern times it has also been used to denote any of the people (or their descendants) of the British Isles."
In short, they are the descendants of the British Isles as well as descending from principal power nations throughout the European terrain.
It has been explained that “so much of the blood of Ephraim has been found hidden and unknown in the midst of the nations of northern Europe.”
Elder George Reynolds has further written:
“It is altogether improbable that in that long journey of one and a half years, as Esdras states it, from Media the land of their captivity to the frozen north, some of the backsliding Israel rebelled, turned aside from the main body, forgot their God, by and by mingled with the Gentiles and became the leaven to leaven with the promised seed all the nations of the earth. The account given in the Book of Mormon of a single family of this same house, its waywardness, its stiffneckedness before God, its internal quarrels and family feuds are, we fear, an example on a small scale of what most probably happened in the vast bodies of Israelites who for so many months wended their tedious way northward.”
“[Israel was] determined to go to a country ‘where never man dwelt,’ that they might be free from all contaminating influences. That country could only be found in the north. Southern Asia was already the seat of a comparatively ancient civilization. Egypt flourished in Northern Africa and Southern Europe was rapidly filling with the future rulers of the world. They had, therefore, no choice but to turn their faces northward. The first portion of their journey was not however northward; according to the account of Esdras, they appear to have first moved in the direction of their old homes, and it is possible that they originally started with the intention of returning thereto, or probably in order to deceive the Assyrians they started as if to return to Canaan, and when they had crossed the Euphrates, and were out of danger from the hosts of the Medes and Persians, then they turned their journeying feet toward the polar star. Esdras states that they entered in at the narrow passage of the river Euphrates, the Lord staying the ‘springs of the flood until they were passed over.’ The point on the River Euphrates at which they crossed would necessarily be its upper portion, as lower down would be too far south for their purpose.
“The upper course of the Euphrates lies among lofty mountains and near the village of Pastash, it plunges through a gorge formed by precipices more than a thousand feet in height and so narrow that it is bridged at the top; it shortly afterwards enters the plains of Mesopotamia. How accurately this portion of the river answers the description of Esdras of the ‘narrows,’ where the Israelites crossed!
“From the Euphrates the wandering host could take but one course in their journey northward, and that was along the back or eastern shore of the Black Sea. All other roads were impassable to them, as the Caucassian range of mountains with only two or three passes throughout its whole extent, ran as a lofty barrier form the Black to the Caspian Sea. To go east would take them back to Media, and a westward journey would carry them through Asia Minor to the coasts of the Mediterranean. Skirting along the Black Sea, they would pass the Caucassian range, cross the Kuban River, be prevented by the Sea of Azof from turning westward and would soon reach the present home of the Don Cossacks” [southwestern Russia]."
In the early 1900's, Elder Anthony W. Ivans wrote a letter entitled “The Lost Tribes” where he goes into much depth, showing by actual substantial evidence that much of the Russian Crimea and parts of Europe were the resting grounds of scattered Israel (in comparison to Elder George Reynolds account):
“Professor Chowlson of the National Museum of St. Petersburg, tells us that he has examined no less than 700 tombstones, and 150 other epigraphs, all of which are in Hebrew, that have been taken from these burials of which the following are a few examples:
‘This is the tomb stone of Buki, the Priest. May his rest be in Eden, at the time of the salvation of Israel. Rabbi Moses Levi died in the year of the our exile 726. Zadoc, the Levite, son of Moses, died 4000 years after the creation, 785 of our exile. To one faithful in Israel, Abraham–Nar–Sinohah, or Kortch, in the year of our exile 1682, when the envoys of the prince of Rosh Meshec from Kiow came to our master, Chazar, Prince David, Halash, Habor, Gozan, to which place Tiglath Pileser had exiled the sons of Reuben and Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and permitted throughout the entire west, even as far as China.
‘I am Jehudi, the son of Moses, the son of Jehudah, the mighty, a man from the tribe of Napthali, of the family of Shim, who was carried captive in the captivity of Hosea, king of Israel, with the tribes of Simeon, together with other tribes of Israel.’
From the Crimea representatives of the tribes of Israel moved on in a northwesterly direction until they reached Dan–mark, Dan’s land, and the British Isles, where they were amalgamated with the people who had previously reached that country by way of the Mediterranean Sea.
Saxon: the dictionaries tell us that the word is derived from Saere, a short sword, or long knife.
Dr. W. Holt Yates says: ‘The word Saxon comes from the sons of Isaac.’
This letter is already long, and but a fraction of the evidence that the Anglo Saxon people of Europe are– not all of course, but the great majority– people descended from the ten tribes. The evidence is so convincing that I cannot doubt it.
Joseph Fielding Smith and I are not in agreement upon this subject. I have not at any time said that there might not be representatives of the ten tribes hidden away of whose existence we have no knowledge, but I do say without hesitation, that they exist in great numbers among the people of Northern Europe, and particularly in the British Isles and the Scandinavian countries.”
If the tribes of Israel [eventually will] reside over all the earth as this theory affirms, then surely they would have recorded the personal visitation of the Christ unto them (3 Nephi 17:4). According only to mere legend, Elder James H. Anderson and other prominent dispersion theorist, E. L. Whitehead further relate some interesting accounts of Christ visiting other peoples in what could possibly be fulfilling this great prophesy:
“A. R. Heaver, English publicist, London, England, who has no reference to or belief in the Book of Mormon account, writes: ‘The tradition that our Lord visited Glastonbury (Somerset, England) is very strong in the west of England, but is an oral tradition only. Documentary evidence may come to light at any time, but without it the accumulative evidence is sufficiently strong to pass the bounds of probability into the spheres of certainty.’ Here let us note. . . [a statement] in Anglo–Saxon history that may have escaped our attention. Gildas, British historian of 542 A. D., says: ‘We know that Christ, the true Sun, afforded his light to our island in the last year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar.’ This would be somewhere from A. D. 34 to A. D. 38.”
Even early British literature contains evidence of a Messianic visitation. Consider the poetry of William Blake:
“And did those feet in ancient times
Walk upon England’s mountains green?
And was the holy lamb of God
On Englands pleasant pastures seen?
And did the Countenance Divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Amid these dark Satanic mills?”
The British historian, Gildas, in 542 A. D. says: “We know that Christ, the true Son, afforded his light to our island in the last year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar.” This would place the date between A. D. 34 and A. D. 38.
Elder James H. Anderson, 40 year executive secretary of the Genealogical Society as well as one who is avidly prone to state his scriptural interpretations as though they were definitive, gives us quite a lengthy list of “Ten Tribes Questions for Thoughtful People,” where he provides well written argumentative questions in somewhat of a rhetorical manner regarding the ten tribes of Israel. Ironically, he begins his 42 questions by declaring, “You ask me my opinion. I am not giving any. . . The facts are what we need,” even though much of what he states is saturated with opinion, lacking any real concrete evidence. His “thoughtful questions” are quite necessary for a legitimate study of the dispersal theory. (See The Appendix.)
Much in the writings of this period are saturated with British Israelitism. It has even been taken as far as suggesting that the word Saxon, as described in Elder Ivan’s letter, was formed over time from the phrase “Isaac’s sons.” (Saac–sons → Saxons)
An important and necessary explanation to this theory states that not only did portions of the lost tribes intermingle within the nations of the earth, but that the remaining majority of the wandering tribes are still in a collective body, hidden from the knowledge of any man. In other words there is today 1) Israel as a distinct and separate body of people lost to modern mankind who know who they are and who have prophets among them; and 2) the partial descendants of ancient Israel who had broken off during their ancient northern journey and, eventually, intermarried into other nations. Thus, number 2 would be who we are gathering today one by one by means of missionary work. Number 1 is who will come from their hiding place in one giant mass prior to the second coming and will gather with the Saints in the New Jerusalem. [FINISH THIS PARAGRAPH DIFFERENTIATING BETWEEN THESE TWO SECTIONS OF SCATTERED ISRAEL]
Joseph Fielding McConkie insists of the two–fold gathering of Israel:
“The gathering comes in response to the scattering. We can quite properly consider the scattering as consisting of two parts: the leading of the ten tribes into the north countries and the dispersing of the twelve tribes among all the nations of the earth. Thus, as the scattering can be divided into two major parts, so it must be with the gathering. If there is to be a restoration of all things, the gathering of the twelve tribes must be as literal as their scattering; the ten tribes must return from the north countries. Thus, after the remnants of the ten tribes have been gathered through the waters of baptism some representative number of them will return to their ancient lands of inheritance.”
McConkie also poses some interesting rebuttals (and partial agreements) to this section of the theory (as far as they are more or less concerned with Doctrine & Covenants 133):
“Indeed, we have no scriptural text that tells is that the ten tribes are located somewhere as a body. While it is true that Christ visited them in a group or groups in the meridian of time, it takes a two thousand year leap to suppose that they have remained so today. The Nephites were also in a group with prophets at their head, but no one would argue that they have retained their identity to this day.
“It should also be noted that in spite of the tact that it has been a popular part of Mormon tradition to argue that the ten tribes are off somewhere together, the idea presents critical theological difficulties and raises a number of serious questions. How could the apostasy have been universal and not affect those of the lost tribes? And if there was no apostasy among them, why the need for a restoration?”
McConkie doesn’t disregard the scriptural account (D&C 133) of the lost tribes returning under the direction of their prophets, he just simply says that “this revelation does not, however say that they are presently in that state.” McConkie further states that “if we are to accept the standard established in the Doctrine & Covenants we must maintain that none have the right to act in the name of the Lord (and surely that would include leading the tribes of Israel) save they have been ‘ordained by some one who has authority, and it is known to the church that he has authority and has been regularly ordained by the hands of the church’ (D&C 42:11). The Doctrine & Covenants accepts none as prophets save those who have been called, ordained, and received the sustaining vote of the church.”
But let us not dismiss this quote from Elder Orson Pratt:
“God is determined to raise up Prophets among that people [those spoken of in D&C 133], but he will not bestow upon them all the fulness of the blessings of the Priesthood. The fulness will be reserved to be given to them after they come to Zion.”
McConkie also attempts to further offer explanation concerning the other significant highlights such as a highway being cast up in the midst of the great deep, the barren deserts bringing forth pools of living water, and the parched ground becoming a thirsty land; all of which are contained in this revelation. He starts out by suggesting that Isaiah chapter 35 ought to be studied together with D&C 133, for a complementary clarification. He explains that “Isaiah tells us that the highway that is to be cast up is the ‘way of holiness,’ that the ‘unclean shall not pass over it,’ but that the ‘redeemed,’ or the ‘ransomed of the Lord,’ shall walk there (Isa. 35:8–10).” “Isaiah tells us that ‘there shall be a highway for the remnant of his people. . . like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt’ (Isa. 11:16). Isaiah refers to a power that removes all obstacles, not to a four–lane Interstate. ‘Prepare ye the way of the people,’ he wrote, ‘cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people’ (Isa. 62:10). The image is not of transits, shovels, and flags, but rather of a proclamation to the ends of the earth that the ancient covenant has been restored and that by his power the Lord will redeem his people. (Isa. 62:11–12).” Continuing, he says: “As to the quenching of the thirsty land and the springs of water that are to come forth, the Doctrine & Covenants tells us that the water that breaks forth is ‘living water,’ or as the Savior said, ‘a well of water springing up into everlasting life’ (John 4:14).” Taking a differing approach, the D&C Student Manual merely suggests that “how a highway will be cast up in the midst of the deep for the ten lost tribes to come to Zion has not been made known by the Lord; however, an interesting parallel is the story of Moses parting the Red Sea.”
President Joseph Fielding Smith has said:
“First let us say something further about the restoration of the ten "lost tribes of Israel." Strange to say, notwithstanding all that has been written, there are many members of the Church who think that these "lost tribes" were scattered among the nations and are now being gathered out and are found through all the stakes and branches of the Church. They reach this conclusion because the general opinion is that these tribes went into the North, and it is the northern countries from whence most of gathered Israel has been found. Then again, explorers presumably have been to the north pole; they have passed over the pole in their air ships and no land or people comparable to the ten tribes has been discovered. Whether these tribes are in the north or not, I am not prepared to say. As I said before, they are "lost" and until the Lord wishes it, they will not be found. All that I know about it is what the Lord has revealed, and He declares that they will come from the North. He has also made it very clear and definite that these lost people are separate and apart from the scattered Israelites now being gathered out.”
Elder Joseph Fielding Smith has also said:
“The Ten Tribes were taken by force out of the land the Lord gave to them. Many of them mixed with the peoples among whom they were scattered. A large portion, however, departed in one body into the north and disappeared from the rest of the world. Where they went and where they are, we do not know. That they are intact we must believe, else how shall the scriptures be fulfilled? There are too many prophecies concerning them and their return in a body, for us to ignore this fact.”
Besides what has been referenced to there are many others stating that much of the ten tribes are undoubtedly residing as a whole body. Elder Orson F. Whitney has stated:
"It is maintained by some that the lost tribes of Israel–those carried into captivity about 725 B.C.–are no longer a distinct people; that they exist only in a scattered condition, mixed with the nations among which they were taken by their captors, the conquering Assyrians. If this be true, and those tribes were not intact at the time Joseph and Oliver received the keys of the gathering why did they make so pointed a reference to ‘the leading of the ten tribes from the land of the north? ...’ What need to particularize as to the Ten Tribes, if they were no longer a distinct people? And why do our Articles of Faith give these tribes a special mention?”
Elder Parley P. Pratt has said:
“The Jews are called dispersed because they are scattered among the nations; but the ten tribes are called outcasts because they are cast out from the knowledge of the nations into a land by themselves.”
Another potential establishment to the dispersal theory is actually quite legitimate. It comes from the famous allegory of the prophet Zenos in the 5th chapter in the Book of Jacob from the Book of Mormon. The mother tree (the house of Israel) that the Lord of the vineyard had planted (Jacob 5:3) began to decay. The Lord of the vineyard acted to stem the decay by pruning, digging about, and dunging the tree (5:4–5). Part of the tree began to recover but the top began to perish (5:6). Therefore, the Lord of the vineyard had to take appropriate measures to save “His” tree (5:7–14). He had the worst branches of the tree cut out and burned (5:7, 9). He had wild olive branches (the Gentiles) grafted into the mother tree (5:7–10). This means that non–Israelites were mixed in with the house of Israel, most likely through scattering Israel among the nations; and this He accomplished by having the original natural branches of the mother tree grafted into other parts of His vineyard (the world) and other natural branches He planted in the nethermost parts of His vineyard (5:8, 13–14). This likely means that some of the house of Israel were scattered among non–Israelite people and some were taken as a distinct Israelite entity to other parts of the world. What is also interesting about this chapter is the distinguishing of the different branches of the mother tree located in several spots of the earth, which locations vary in their levels of nutrient ground. Many have interpreted that this chapter indicates that there is in fact three different branches (possibly the Jews, the Nephites, and the ten tribes). Others have interpreted that this chapter actually indicates that there is four different branches along with the original mother tree (1st – vs. 20, 2nd – vs. 23, 3rd – vs. 24, 4th – vs. 25). Either way, this scriptural summation is a great source of evidence to the dispersal theory as well as to its counterpart, which again postures that the tribes were not only dispersed and sifted among the nations but also still reside in a collective body, as illustrated from the previous quotes. (See the “Jacob Chapter 5" section for further insights into the allegory of Zenos.)
2. The Planet (or Orb) Theory. This is in part of a famous story given by an early Mormon pioneer named Benjamin Brown and which has been labeled as the unknown planet theory or polar star theory. It is of the Prophet Joseph Smith visiting his [Benjamin Brown’s] grandparents. He is quoted as saying that on one evening in Nauvoo the Prophet knocked on his grandparents door seeking refuge from the mobs who had been after him that night. They let him in immediately. After dinner they began to take part in a gospel conversation. When the doctrine of the ten lost tribes was mentioned, Benjamin’s grandfather asked the Prophet, “Joseph, where are the ten tribes?”
In response the Prophet said, “Come to the door and I will show you, come on Sister Brown, I want you both to see.” While standing under the night sky the Prophet said, “Brother Brown can you show me the Polar Star?”
“Yes, sir,” Brother Brown said as he pointed to the North Star.
The Prophet said, “Do you discern a little twinkler to the right and below the Polar Star, which we would judge to be about the distance of 20 feet from here?” Both Brother and Sister Brown agreed that they did. Then the Prophet said in conclusion, “Very well then, let’s go in.”
When they reentered the home, the prophet asked to see Brother Brown’s copy of the Doctrine and Covenants. As he retrieved it, the prophet turned to the 133rd section and read from the 26th to the 31st verse and then said, “now let me ask you what would cause the Everlasting Hills to tremble with more violence than the coming together of the two planets. And the place whereon they reside will return to this Earth.” He further said that science will tell otherwise, “that two planets coming together would be disastrous to both; but, when two planets or other objects are traveling in the same direction and one of them with a little greater velocity than the other, it would overtake the other. Now, what would cause the mountains of ice to melt quicker than the heat caused by the friction of the two planets coming together?”
Joseph continued: “And relative to the Great Highway which should be cast up when the planet returns to its place in the great Northern Waters, it will form a highway and waters will receed [recede] and roll back. Now as to their coming back from the Northern Waters; they will return from the north because their planet will return to the place from whence it was taken.”
The prophet related this to swinging a vessel of water around ones head. If you swing it rapidly you won’t spill any, but if you slow it down the water will begin to spill out. He said, “Brother Brown, at the present time this earth is rotating very rapidly. When this planet returns it will make the earth that much heavier, and it will then revolve slower, and that will account for the waters receding from the earth for a great while.”
This segment was taken from a book by Robert W. Smith entitled The Last Days, page 77-80.
A scripture found in Deuteronomy 30:4 has amazing similarities to the prior story. Speaking of the gathering of the Lord’s people it states, “If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee; and from thence will he fetch thee:” (italics added).
Even Eliza R. Snow wrote in one of her hymn’s for the Church (1905 Hymn Book, page 322, italics added):
And when the Lord saw fit to hide
The “ten lost tribes” away,
Thou, earth, was severed to provide
The orb on which they stay.
When asked by Benjamin Brown’s grandmother (on a different occasion from the one previously mentioned with the Prophet) about where she received this information for her hymn, Eliza R. Snow replied, “Why, my husband (the prophet Joseph Smith) told me about it” (The Last Days by Robert W. Smith, pages 77-80).
Elder Orson Pratt has even said:
“The prophet Joseph once in my hearing advanced his opinion that the Ten Tribes were separated from the Earth; or a portion of the Earth was by a miracle broken off, and that the Ten Tribes were taken away with it, and that in the latter days it would be restored to the Earth or be let down in the Polar regions. Whether the prophet founded his opinion upon revelation or whether it was a matter of mere speculation with him, I am not able to say.”
Whether this theory states that the lost tribes reside on a planetary orb taken from this earth or not is sometimes not for certain.
Similarly, some have even supposed the moon to be the possible residence for the lost tribes, since science agrees that it was once a portion of this earth. Brigham Young spoke on one occasion concerning the moon and its inhabitants. This may have little or no concern here, but it is worth taking an entertaining look at. He said:
“Who can tell us of the inhabitants of this little planet that shines of an evenings, called the moon? When we view its face we may see what is termed “the man on the moon,” and what some philosophers declare are the shadows of mountains. But these sayings are very vague, and amount to nothing; and when you inquire about the inhabitants of that sphere, you find that the most learned are as ignorant in regard to them as the most ignorant of their fellows” (Journal of Discourses 13:271).
3. The Hollow Earth and North Pole Theory. There have even been stories of a superior people who reside in the interior of the earth or at the northern poles of the earth where [supposed] vast amounts of vegetation grow plentifully. This has been known as the hollow–earth or concave theory. Conjunctive with this theory is the north pole theory.
Elder Orson Pratt has said:
“Whether missionaries will be sent from Zion to hunt up these dispersed tribes in the north I do not know; but one thing I do know, from that which is reported by those who have tried to find a passage to the pole, that there is a warmer country off there, and that birds of passage go north to find a warmer climate. That I know from the writings of intelligent men who have been on voyages of discovery. And I know, furthermore, that they have crossed by means of dogs and sledges a certain portion of this great band of ice and have come to an open sea, which proves that here is a warmer country further north. There is a tract of country around the pole, some seven or eight hundred miles in diameter, that no man among the nations that we are acquainted with, as ever explored. But how much of that land may be fit for habitation I am not prepared to say, for I do not know. I know it would be a very easy matter for the Lord God, by the aid of great mountain ranges encircling them around about, to produce a band of ice which would prevent other nation and people very easily reaching them. I also know that it would be a very easy matter for the Lord God to cause deep and extensive valleys, very deep in comparison with high ranges of the mountains around them, where the temperature would be comparatively mild, the same as in these mountains here. We see all the rigors of an arctic winter on our eastern ranges of mountains, while at the same time here are deep valleys in which there is a comparatively warm climate, which makes me think of that which was spoken by the mouth of Isaiah the Prophet in referring to the latter-day work. He says that "when it shall hail, coming down upon the forests, the city shall be low in a low place," where the climate is warm.”
“The view that the Lost Ten Tribes possibly existed in a ‘deep. . . valley’ of some type within the region of the north pole, as explained by Orson Pratt, soon led to or was accompanied by the opinion ‘that the hole was so deep’ that the earth was actually ‘hollow’ somewhere near or at the North Pole.”
William W. Phelps, who at many times was scribe for the prophet stated:
“The parts of the globe that are known probably contain 700 million of inhabitants, and those parts which are unknown may be supposed to contain more than four times as many more, making an estimated total of about three thousand, five hundred and eighty millions of souls: Let no man marvel at this statement, because there may be a continent at the north pole, of more than 1300 square miles, containing thousands of millions of Israelites, who, after a high way is cast up in the great deep, may come to Zion, singing songs of everlasting joy. The Lord must bring to pass the words of Isaiah, which say to the North ‘Give up; and to the South; keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth.’ From the north and south end, I presume, as no one has ever pretended that there was an end to the globe anywhere else.”
In regarding to the speculating factor of this theory as in all theories, President Charles W. Penrose comes to the doctrinal rescue:
“. . . ‘The north’ has been mentioned both in ancient and modern lands as a place where Israel would be gathered from, and this has led to the notion, entertained by some persons, that the lost tribes were located somewhere in the neighborhood of the north pole. This has not been as established doctrine of the Church, but simply a theory that has been deduced out of some of the saying of the prophets.”
These opinions and theories are really used only as a food for thought and mere philosophic entertainment. They may be substantive to one and simple folklore to another. Nevertheless, they are good for a bedtime story. Wither any of this knowledge is for the taking or not is for the individual to decipher.
THE RECORDS.
The two distinctive tribes (Judah and Joseph) anciently, were commanded to keep a record written by the hands of their own prophets. These two records were to be used simultaneously to bring the world to Christ before His second coming. The record kept by the tribe of Judah is now called the Bible. The record kept by the tribe of Joseph is now called the Book of Mormon (Ezek. 37:15–20; 2 Nephi 29:12–13). [Explain Eze. 37]
Hugh Nibley once said:
“It is not Israel over against Judah at all, but Judah and such of Israel as are with him, as against Joseph and such of Israel as are with him. We are dealing with two clearly marked but composite branches of Israel which together make up ‘the whole house of Israel.’ The text says literally: ‘I will take the wood of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim and the staves of Israel his associates, and I shall place them alongside the wood of Judah, and I shall take them for one wood, and they shall be one in my hand.’ This is no simple joining of two sticks: the wood of Joseph goes along with other sticks of Israel–those of Israel ‘associated with him’–and these are fitted to the wood of Judah.”
The rest of the tribes of Israel were also commanded to keep a record amongst themselves. These will be brought forth when all the remaining tribes of Israel are officially gathered. Elder James E. Talmage spoke on this subject of the records of the lost tribes and the time in which they’ll be brought forth:
“...A gathering is in progress, and has been in progress from the early days of this Church; and thus the ‘Lost Tribes’ are now being gathered; but that we are not to look for a return of any body of people not unknown as to their whereabouts. True, the gathering is in progress, this is a gathering dispensation; but the prophecy stands that the tribes shall be brought forth from their hiding place...[and their] scriptures shall be becomes one with the scriptures of the Jews, the holy Bible, and with the scriptures of the Nephites, the Book of Mormon, and with the scriptures of the Latter-Day Saints as embodied in the volumes of modern revelation.”
On another occasion in the year 1916, Elder James E. Talmage gave this extraordinary prediction on the time when this great event will occur:
“The tribes shall come; they are not lost unto the Lord; they shall be brought forth as hath been predicted; and I say unto you there are those now living–aye, some here present–who shall live to read the records of the Lost Tribes of Israel, which shall be made one with record of the Jews, or the holy Bible, and the record of the Nephites, or the Book of Mormon, even as the Lord hath predicted.”
Elder Neal A. Maxwell gave an interesting statement in relation to the records of Israel. He has related to it in a number of his speeches. The particular speech in which I will quote from is entitled “The Children of Christ.” Elder Maxwell states:
“The day will come, brothers and sisters, when we will have other books of scripture which will emerge to accompany the Holy Bible and the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price. Presently you and I carry our scriptures around in a “quad”; the day will come when you’ll need a little red wagon.”
The Book of Mormon is the major tool in helping to gather the rest of the tribes to the Covenant. The Lord uses the Book of Mormon coupled with the Bible to bring to pass the knowledge of the covenants God has made with His people (2 Ne. 3:12). It is such a submissive; such a sacred, reverent, and awe–inspiring manner in which the Book of Mormon plays the critical role in calling Israel home.
THE AUTHORITY.
The Abrahamic covenant is now what we refer to as the New and Everlasting Covenant. You will recognize this phrase used many times in the Doctrine and Covenants. It is “new” because it has been restored through Joseph Smith and the restoration (D&C 103:17; 110:11-12) and it is “everlasting” because God’s promises or words are forever, like Himself; and, therefore, everlasting. It may also be called or considered “everlasting” because God’s name has been called “Endless” (D&C 19:10); thus making the covenant of Abraham a “Godly Covenant” or “God’s covenant.”
Moses brought to Joseph Smith the keys of the gathering of Israel in 1836 (D&C 110). This now allows Joseph to give these keys to others for the gathering of Israel. Joseph Fielding Smith said about the key of the gathering of Israel: “What brought you here? The gospel of Jesus Christ, and the power and the authority bestowed by Moses for your gathering here.” The gathering only occurs because of this priesthood key. This element of the gathering is vitally important; it is one of the keystones in the truth of this church.
Elias (also known as Noah or Gabriel [see D&C 27:6-7]) brought the dispensation of the Gospel of Abraham (or the Abrahamic covenant) to Joseph Smith, thus making the Abrahamic covenant fully active and operative under the hands of the holy priesthood. This, also, is a very vital element in the validity of this mission (the gathering of scattered Israel) of Mormonism. We are the only people on Earth who have this authority and responsibility.
Once Israel is gathered (or called by the Spirit) by the hands of Ephraim, they are baptized and confirmed by the priesthood of God. Then, and only then, is the Abrahamic covenant made fully active for their individual salvation.
“As Latter–day Saints, we see ourselves as restored Israel. Genealogically we tie ourselves to the same blood line as the Jews–we, as they, are the descendants of Abraham and Israel. But most importantly we a restoration of the true biblical religion: we are blessed with a continuation of prophesy and prophets, the two priesthoods, Levitical and Melchizedek, temples, latter–day scriptures including the Book of Mormon, and a new–though very ancient–land of promise.”
Therefore, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–day Saints, by direct revelation and priesthood authority, is the house of Israel with all the blessings and responsibilities appertaining unto The Abrahamic covenant that God made with Abraham. On speaking again, how the term “Israel” relates to Christ’s Church, the Apostle Paul refers to it in his epistle to the Romans when he says, “Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel” (Romans 9:6). This simply means that even though you may be of the loins of Israel naturally, if you do not yield to God’s Church and His authority, then you are not considered Israel in the spiritual, and, thus, the most important sense. As has been explained before, the covenant is only directed to those obedient in Israel. Nephi says: “For behold, I say unto you that as many of the Gentiles as will repent are the covenant people of the Lord; and as many of the Jews as will not repent shall be cast off; for the Lord covenanteth with none save it be with them that repent and believe in his Son, who is the Holy One of Israel” (2 Ne. 30:2). It is suggested that as it states that the Gentiles are of the covenant once they have repented, that that repentance must be coupled with baptism and confirmation by the priesthood of God.
WHERE ARE THEY GATHERED TO?
The gathering of Israel is first spiritual. (See The Gentiles section) This occurs as the individual joins the true Church through priesthood ordinances, such as baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Then it is a physical gathering (Jer. 16:14-15). This is when (1.) they (new converts) live or dwell amongst the Saints in their own land. Elder Bruce R. McConkie has said:
“Every Stake on earth is the gathering place for the lost sheep of Israel who live in its area. The gathering place for the Peruvians is in the stakes of 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.”
Millions will be gathered to help in the return of Israel to the Lord. “But in individual specificity, the Lord told Jeremiah that sometimes the gathering entity will be small: ‘I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion (Jer. 3:14).’”
(2.) The other part of the physical gathering is much greater. It is when the lost tribes, in a large mass, shall come out from their “hiding place” and then receive their lands of inheritance. The Doctrine and Covenants states in section 133 verse 26 (used previously): “And they who are in the north countries shall come in remembrance before the Lord; and their prophets shall hear his voice, and shall no longer stay themselves. . .” This physical gathering will be both individual and collective. The Old Testament Student Manual 1 Kings–Malachi refers to these two physical gatherings:
“The scriptures teach that remnants of all the tribes of Israel were scattered among the nations of the earth and in the last days will be gathered out from among these nations and from the four quarters of the earth. The remnant known as the lost ten tribes will return as a body out of the north countries.”
The tenth Article of Faith states (emphasis added):
“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.”
Doctrine and Covenants 110:11 states (emphasis added):
“After this vision closed, the heavens were again opened unto us; and Moses appeared before us, and committed unto us the keys of the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth, AND the leading of the ten tribes from the land of the north.”
Both these references seem to indicate 1.) a gathering from among the nations of the earth which is occurring now though missionary work and 2.) a great gathering as a whole body of people from a actual location “from the land of the north.”
The tribe of Judah (the Jews) began to be gathered when the modern–day Apostle, Orson Hyde, dedicated the land of Palestine on October 24, 1841. The Jews received their land back and were established as the nation of Israel in 1948 after WWII. “The Holocaust left the Jewish people wounded in spirit and greatly reduced in numbers. But out of the tragedy came a new determination to establish a Jewish state in Palestine. The Arabs there continued to oppose this plan, and violence often broke out between Arabs and Jews.” This, easily, is in fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy that “they [the Gentiles] shall bring thy [the house of Israel’s] sons in their arms and their daughters shall be carried on their shoulders. And kings shall be thy nursing fathers and their queens thy nursing mothers” (Isa. 49:22–23).
Joseph Fielding Smith has said:
“It was a spiritual covenant that God made with Abraham, a covenant centering in obedience, missionary work, the gospel of salvation, and the promise of eternal life. The great issue was not where Abraham lived. But how he lived. A land of inheritance is simply an earthly token, a reminder of the eternal rewards awaiting those who honor their covenants. It is appropriate that if Abraham or his seed break those covenants, the token–the land promised them–would be taken from them. When they return to the living of those covenants, then and only then should they be returned to that land that symbolizes their obedience.”
We know that the tribe of Judah will receive the area of Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital and the tribe of Joseph will receive the land of America with the New Jerusalem (Jackson Co., Missouri) as its capital. Joseph Smith said in more detail regarding these lands of inheritance that Ephraim and the rest of the tribes, beside Judah, shall receive the land of America; but that Judah shall receive the land of Jerusalem:
“By it [the Book of Mormon] we learn that our western tribes of Indians are descendants from that Joseph who was sold into Egypt, and that the land of America is a promised land unto them, and unto it all the tribes of Israel will come, with as many of the Gentiles as shall comply with the requisitions of the new covenant. But the tribe of Judah will return to old Jerusalem.”
These ten tribes will remain in Zion for quite some time, but for how long is unknown.
Elder Orson Pratt states:
“How long will they who come from the north countries tarry in the heights of Zion? Sometime. They have got to raise wheat, cultivate the grape, wine and oil, raise flocks and herds, and their souls will have to become as a watered garden. They will dwell in Zion a good while, and during that time, there will be twelve thousand chosen out of each of these ten tribes, besides twelve thousand that will be chosen from Judah, Joseph, and the remaining tribes, one hundred and forty–four thousand in all. Chosen for what? To be sealed in their foreheads. For what purpose? So that the power of death and pestilence and plague that will go forth in those days sweeping over the nations of the earth will have no power over them. These parties who are sealed in their foreheads will go forth among all people, nations and tongues, and gather up and hunt out the house of Israel, wherever they are scattered, and bring as many as they possibly can into the Church of the first–born, preparatory to the great day of the coming of the Lord. One hundred and forty-four thousand missionaries! Quite a host. All this has got to take place.”
This statement is rather interesting and much of it makes plausible sense [thus, the reason I included it], but the next two sentences immediately following are what I consider even more interesting and, thus, likely reveal a notion of its nullification, given the fact that this sermon was given in 1875:
“There are persons in this congregation who will be in the midst of Zion, when the ten tribes come to Zion from the north countries, and will assist in bestowing the blessings promised by the Almighty upon the heads of the tribes of Israel. There are servants of God in the midst of this congregation who will lay their hands upon many of each of these twelve thousand, chosen out of the ten tribes, and set them apart as missionaries to visit the nations of the earth and hunt up the remnants of the seed of Jacob.”
INTERESTING SIDE NOTES.
A very interesting quote was given by Joseph Smith concerning one of the many purposes of gathering the Jews and all of Israel. It is relative to the vital importance of temple ordinances. Joseph said:
“This subject was presented to me since I came to the stand. What was the object of gathering the Jews, or the people of God in any age of the world? . . . .
“The main object was to build unto the Lord a house whereby He could reveal unto His people the ordinances of His house and the glories of His kingdom, and teach the people the way of salvation; for there are certain ordinances and principles that, when they are taught and practiced, must be done in a place or house built for that purpose.”
When the Messiah (Jesus Christ) came to the Jews and then eventually to all Israel (Matt. 15:24), he came for the purpose of “spiritually” gathering Israel; fulfilling the Mosaic Law that Israel was then governed by. He taught Israel of the higher law or the new covenant in which they were to now be governed under. He organized His Church and set Peter as the presiding authority over it (Matt. 16:18–19). By Peter receiving the keys of the gathering of Israel under the hands of Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17), the same that was given to Joseph Smith in 1836 in the Kirtland Temple, Christ then instituted the literal “physical” gathering of Israel.
One of the absolute fundamentals of the gospel of Jesus Christ rests within the Temple. It is the pinnacle of any disciples’ conversion journey to endure to the end. It is so important to Israel that these “ordinances and principles” be revealed to them. It is in embodied within the Abrahamic Covenant. In direct connection to the previous statement made by Joseph Smith on the gathering, Hugh W. Nibley gives his opinion about these “certain ordinances” of the Temple and the revealing of them to the Jews, in New Testament times, after they were “gathered” or joined to the Church:
“Morton Smith [whom Nibley is referring to] has shown at great length that the word “mystery,” as used by the early Jews and Christians (taught in secret to the apostles), was nothing else than a series of initiatory ordinances for achieving the highest salvation which today are lost and unknown to the Christian world. He says we don’t know what they are; but that is what Christ meant by the mysteries of the kingdom [Matt.13:11]. He meant ordinances, which were necessary; and these he revealed to the apostles during his very confidential teachings of the forty days after the resurrection.”
Also in preparation of the return of the lost tribes, Joseph Smith even “prophesied that John the Revelator was then among the Ten Tribes of Israel who had been led away by Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, to prepare them for their return from their long dispersion, to again possess the land of their fathers.” The missions of John the Revelator and the three Nephite disciples was in fact to bring souls unto Christ (John 21:18–25; 3 Ne. 28:4–11; D&C 7). This is the gathering of Israel–bringing souls to Christ!
THE GENTILES.
The gospel, during the ministry of Christ, was only preached unto the house of Israel; it was a gospel of redemption and remembrance upon those who originally had it. Jesus informed the woman from Canaan that He was “not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 15:24). Even when the Lord called His twelve special witnesses He “commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not” (Matt. 10:5). This was the pattern followed until the Apostle Peter received a new revelation concerning the adoption and baptizing of the gentile people (Acts 10). This revelation must have been one of tremendous import on behalf of the many believing Gentiles and tremendous import on behalf of Israel as a lesson in the making. This is the story where the Roman centurion, Cornelius, was ministered to by an angel. Soon after, Peter received a vision showing that the dietary restrictions of the law of Moses were to be discontinued. The symbolism was in what the Lord told him: “What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common” (Acts 10:15). This is meaning that the Gentiles have been referred to as not “being clean” or “of us” as the covenanted, but now God will distinguish what is “clean” and “of us.” What marks this story as such an important dispensation is in the fact that Cornelius was the first Gentile to be baptized and come into the Church as a Gentile. Before, it was not uncommon for Gentiles to join the Church after first converting to Judaism (See earlier sections on the history of ancient Israel). This section is entitled “The Gentiles,” but it ought to be understood that it is really in application to everyone, independent of sacred lineage, who is in utter ignorance of God and His holy and eternal purposes. The Abrahamic covenant is set up and declared on behalf of God “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39).
It is true that Israel is God’s people with an immense responsibility. They are set apart by Him through covenant for potential salvation, and are the only people under heaven with this potential. Obviously with such sacred eminence and in accordance with the unfortunate laws of humanity, pride must hang its evil head. The Book of Mormon and the Old Testament are full of reference to Israel doing that which is wicked before the Lord. Israel is always being chastised by the Lord, for “he chastened them because he loveth them” (Hel. 15:3). This wickedness and pride is the scene of the New Testament and is what John the Baptist contended against in warning Israel to “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 3:2). The blessings of Israel are NOT entitled to Israel, but RIGHTEOUS Israel; and if this be not the case, the Lord will raise up righteousness among others, and the great covenant will, in the Lord’s way, be instituted among them. Among all the characteristics of man before their God, righteousness is the real prerequisite (D&C 1:31). “By why is Israel so small?,” rhetorically inquires Hugh Nibley, “Well, that's very clear. They are the nucleus–they are the cadre. They hold the fort, and the instant any others qualify, they will be accepted. They are included in Israel.” Elder James E. Talmage said about the pride John the Baptist dealt with in declaring to the Pharisees and the Sadducees:
“He brushed aside their oft–repeated boasts that they were the children of Abraham, saying, ‘Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: and think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham’ [Matt. 3:7–10; Luke 3:3–9]. The ignoring of their claims to preferment as the children of Abraham was a strong rebuke, and a cause of sore affront alike to aristocratic Sadducee, and rule–bound Pharisee. Judaism held that the posterity of Abraham had an assured place in the kingdom of the expected Messiah, and that no proselyte from among the Gentiles could possibly attain the rank and distinction of which the ‘children’ were sure. John’s forceful assertion that God could raise up, from stones on the river bank, children to Abraham, meant to those who heard that even the lowest of the human family might be preferred before themselves unless they repented and reformed.”
Many times through the scriptures it states that if the Gentiles repent they may be numbered among the house of Israel. In order for this to occur the Gentiles must be adopted into the house of Israel (Rom. 9:4–6), then they are entitled to the benefits and blessings of the covenant and on the path to gain God’s greatest gift–eternal life (Gal. 3:7–9, 14, 16, 26–29; 1 Ne. 14:2; 2 Ne. 10:18, 30:2; 3 Ne. 16:13, 30:2). All the world must humble itself and be baptized by water and fire under the jurisdiction of God’s holy priesthood. They then are to receive the blessings of the gospel and hopefully, through obedience and endurance, inherit God’s greatest gift–eternal life, the gift only obtained by Israel. As we made mention before, in the covenant God made to Abraham (Abr. 2:11), the Lord states that it (and the priesthood [being in the context it was used]) “shall continue in thee, and in thy seed after thee (that is to say, the literal seed, or the seed of the body).” Therefore, there must not only needs be a spiritual and mental adoption, but an actual “literal” physiological adoption–in an obvious support of the previous scripture. The Prophet Joseph Smith explained this event and made an amazing statement of the significance the Holy Ghost rendered in the conversion (or adoption) of an individual into the Church:
“There are two Comforters spoken of. One is the Holy Ghost, the same given on the day of Pentecost, and that all Saints receive after faith, repentance, and baptism. This first Comforter or Holy Ghost has no other effect than pure intelligence. It is more powerful in expanding the mind, enlightening the understanding, and storing the intellect with present knowledge, of a man who is of the literal seed of Abraham, than one that is a Gentile, though it may not have half as much visible effect upon the body; for as the Holy Ghost falls upon one of the literal seed of Abraham, it is calm and serene; and his whole soul and body are only exercised by the pure spirit of intelligence; while the effect of the Holy Ghost upon a Gentile, is to purge out the old blood, and make him actually of the seed of Abraham. That man that has none of the blood of Abraham (naturally) must have a new creation by the Holy Ghost. In such a case, there may be more of a powerful effect upon the body, and visible to the eye, than upon an Israelite, while the Israelite at first might be far beyond the Gentile in pure intelligence.”
Brigham Young also referred to the previous statement made by Joseph Smith, when he said:
“Again, if a pure Gentile firmly believes the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and yields obedience to it, in such a case I will give you the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith: ‘The effect of the Holy Ghost upon a Gentile, is to purge out the old blood, and make him actually of the seed of Abraham.’”
As we may see, these statements conclude that the greater blessings of the confirmation upon a Gentile rests, not only among the view of the new creation within their physiology, but in the very characteristic to which the Prophet had made mention–the eminent priority of knowledge and the further intellect of God’s people. “The Holy Ghost. . . know[s] more that all the world put together” and Israel under the power of the priesthood of Melchizedek may in all regards and aspects “associate” themselves “with Him.” In the doctrine of the gathering this is the greatest of import. With it comes the most prevalent attribute of testimony and responsibility mandated to Israel–that Jesus is the very Christ. “The principle of knowledge is the principle of salvation” and salvation is the greatest of all the gifts in the kingdom (D&C 14:7). Knowledge, as the quote attributed to the Prophet in the beginning of this essay asserts, is what the Lord promises to the saints as they further embark to gather their distant family back home: “He will endow you with power, wisdom, might, and intelligence, and every qualification necessary; while your minds will expand wider and wider.” We must never forget that knowledge is what we as Latter–day Saints bring to the world, for we have and will have more of it as we progress in the establishment of Zion. Remember: “We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God” (A of F 9). The gathering is not independent of revelation (and knowledge), for it ascribes its province to that decree in this final dispensation. The real gathering of Israel, when spiritually investigated, is really the informing of Israel.
As alluded to earlier, idolatry is literally (and metaphorically) the world’s greatest sin. To put anything before God is just that. Pride has been defined as the great universal sin. But what is pride? The opposite of humility? Yes, of course it is: the affixation with one’s own self and attainment. Selfishness and vanity are nothing more than self–idolatry. The desire to satisfy lust is also nothing more than self–idolatry. Once again: anything put before God and His will is nothing less than mere idolatry. Jacob, in the Book of Mormon, states truthfully that men put “their hearts are upon their treasures; wherefore, their treasure is their God” and, therefore, their idol (2 Ne. 9:30). Obviously, this scripture has been referred to in declaring money, signifying those who are “rich as to the things of the world.” But to be rich in the things of the world does not always have to pertain to money. Recall that just prior to verse 30, Jacob warns that “when [men] are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves” (2 Ne. 9:28). When a man has excessive knowledge in the sciences and philosophies of the world why would he not be thought “rich as to the things of the world.” Knowledge has been the means and the end in the lives of many deserving individuals. But the warning goes even further: “But to be learned is good IF they hearken unto the counsels of God” (2 Ne. 9:29, emphasis added). When is it good for any man to be learned? Well, its simple enough–only if he hearkens to the God of knowledge. Otherwise, it will unfortunately and inevitably lead to idolatry. These are eternal principles, axioms of man’s nature; thus, suggestive of why God gives such strict guidelines in which He calls commandments! Logically onto the second question: how may a man hearken to God? By first knowing and loving Him and His eternal Son. “It is the first principle of the gospel to know for certainty the character of God.”
Man is created under the power and will of the Almighty “that they should keep his commandments and glorify him forever” (Jacob 2:21). To help men keep and honor this, God has put “worship. . . in man’s nature. Man is naturally a religious being. His heart instinctively seeks for God whether he reveres the sacred cow or prays to the sun or moon; whether he kneels before wood and stone images, or prays in secret to his Heavenly Father, he is satisfying an inborn urge.” As the world is imprisoned in its own knowledge and wisdom, those under the glorious effects of the Holy Ghost are literally becoming Israel and eventually being set free through the truth (John 8:32). They are brought back to the knowledge of the covenants of the Father unto them, which covenant is centered and vitally balanced upon the Messiah. The power of the Holy Ghost teaches (and reminds) men of Jesus, that He is the Christ (John 12:26); the gift of the Holy Ghost facilitates men to actually know Christ and prepares them through the obtaining of further light and knowledge and by the sanctification of their present fallen state. After this “first Comforter, then let him continue to humble himself before God, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and living by every word of God, and the Lord will soon say unto him, Son, thou shalt be exalted.” The Holy Ghost presents men to Christ, whereupon, Christ presents them to His Father (3 Ne. 27:14). Thus, only through the advancement and advocation of this eventual sacred event, the monumental means of the covenant, is any knowledge had by man considered “good.” This is the principle of the gathering of Israel–to gather those elect out of the world and bless them with knowledge.
When the Gentiles are adopted into the house of Israel, they are adopted into the tribe of Ephraim–which is considered the “adoption tribe.” Its explanation is in parallel to the divine title of Christ as our Heavenly Father. It is through Him that we are saved (Acts 4:12). We must be baptized (or born again) under the “Fatherhood” of Jesus, thus “becoming” (or in the words of Joseph Smith having a “new creation by the Holy Ghost”) His seed through a magnificent spiritual adoption. At the courts of King Noah, the prophet Abinidi had taught this doctrine by recapping the words of Isaiah in the 53th chapter of his book: “And now I say unto you, who shall declare his [Jesus Christ’s] generation? Behold, I say unto you, that when his soul has been made an offering for sin he shall see his seed. And now what say ye? And who shall be his seed? Behold I say unto you, that whosoever has heard the words of the prophets, yea, all the holy prophets who have prophesied concerning the coming of the Lord–I say unto you, that all those who have hearkened unto their words, and believed that the Lord would redeem his people, and have looked forward to that day for a remission of their sins, I say unto you, that these are his seed, or they are the heirs of the kingdom of God. For these are they whose sins he has borne; these are they for whom he has died, to redeem them from their transgressions. And now, are they not his seed? Yea, and are not the prophets, every one that has opened his mouth to prophesy, that has not fallen into transgression, I mean all the holy prophets ever since the world began? I say unto you that they are his seed” (Mosiah 15:10–13, emphasis added). Even Joseph Fielding Smith states that “there is a difference between immortality and eternal life. Immortality is the gift to live forever. It comes to every creature. Eternal life is to have the kind of life that God has. All those who become servants will have immortality, but they who become sons and daughters of God will have the additional gift of eternal life, which is the greatest gift of God.”
Only of His seed has He borne the sin. Only His seed will inherit heaven. His seed are those humble, charitable, sons and daughters of the house of Israel with all its divine rights and authorities.
JACOB CHAPTER 5.
Among all the scriptures about the gathering and scattering of Israel, the most necessary to be studied would be the 5th chapter of the book of Jacob in the Book of Mormon. It is commonly referred to as the Allegory of the Olive Tree. It was written by the ancient prophet Zenos, taken from the brass plates, which were brought over to the land of promise with the family of Lehi. The allegory was then incorporated into the small plates of Nephi by Jacob, Nephi’s younger brother. There are other accounts which allude to the Allegory of the Olive Tree within the scriptures, either from Isaiah (Isa. 11) to Ezekiel (Ezek. 37) to the epistles of the Apostle Paul (Rom. 11). Of the fortunate circumstance we as Latter–Day Saints have to be able to study such a detailed account of the allegory written by the prophet Zenos, Elder Joseph Fielding Smith relates: “But we have something in the Book of Mormon that, if we did not have any other truth expressed in it, would be sufficient evidence of the divinity of this book.”
I wish not to go through and explain all 77 verses of this account. I only wish to provide a bit of accommodative information to any who desire to begin their study of it. It can be a very complex task to just dive into such a profound part of the scriptures such as the Allegory. Average readers of the Book of Mormon might treat Jacob 5 as they would the Isaiah chapters located in 1st and 2nd Nephi–meaning that they hurry and breeze through them to avoid any further confusion.
The following information is taken from a book titled Nourished by the Good Word of God. This particular section was written by Kent P. Jackson where he has taken an interesting interpretation of the allegory provided by Monte S. Nyman in the book, An Ensign to All People (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1987). A few other creditable sources have been added in which I thought would put a completeness to our little synopsis of the allegory. This other information comes from Avraham Gileadi’s book The Last Days and Joseph Fielding McConkie and Robert L. Millet’s book Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, Volume II – Jacob through Mosiah. All of the information from these sources have been integrated together along with some of my own ideas for the sake of maintaining order and proper chronological arrangement; and to obtain as much methodical knowledge as possible. The Holy Ghost along with helpful aids such as these can be very useful in understanding the Allegory of the Olive Tree.
As one reads and studies this chapter they will find certain vocabulary that in understanding it, is requisite in the message conveyed about Israel, their history, and destiny. Here is a brief definition to these words:
Tame Olive Tree: The House of Israel.
Wild Olive Tree: The Gentiles.
The Vineyard: The World.
The Master (A man, verse 3): The Lord.
The Servant: A prophet, or prophets at any given time.
Grafting natural branches into the wild trees: Branches (portions) of Israel dispersed among the Gentiles.
Grafting wild branches into the natural tree: Adoption of the Gentiles into Israel.
Pruning, nourishing, and cultivating: The work of the Lord and his servants to save their people.
Natural fruit: Faithful Saints and their righteous works, worthy of eternal life.
Wild fruit: Unfaithful individuals and their unrighteous works.
The allegory can be separated into four divisions, or four visitations of the Master to the vineyard. The first visit is anywhere from verse four to verse 14. The second visit is anywhere from verse 15 to verse 28. The third visit is anywhere from verse 29 to verse 60. The fourth and final visit is anywhere from verse 66 to verse 77. To begin, it should be noted of the significance of Israel being symbolized as an olive tree. Avraham Gileadi states: “The olive tree as a symbol of Israel, along with the fig tree and grapevine, possesses a long history in the Old Testament. Like the fig tree and the grapevine, the olive tree can renew itself even when it decays and is cut down.” It’s apparent that the founding notion of this allegorical tree is botanically rooted in repentance. Obviously, the Lord is trying to show his never–ending grace to a seemingly never–ending prideful and iniquitous Israel. Hugh Nibley has even given a very fascinating explanation behind the symbolism of the olive tree. If his words are read carefully before and after an examined study of the 5th chapter of Jacob, the allegory then presents itself with more of a profound meaning of how and why God deals with Israel in manner he does.
Nibley states:
"Jacob’s (or rather Zenos’) treatise on ancient olive culture (Jacob 5–6) is accurate in every detail: Olive trees do have to be pruned and cultivated diligently; the top branches are indeed the first to wither, and the new shoots do come right out of the trunk; the olive is indeed the most plastic of trees, surpassing even the willow in its power to survive the most drastic whacking and burning; a good olive tree is greatly cherished, and no end of pains are taken to preserve it even through many centuries, for really superior fruit is very rare and difficult to obtain and perpetuate; the ancient way of strengthening the old tree (especially in Greece) was to graft in the shoots of the oleaster or wild olive; also, shoots from valuable old trees were transplanted to keep the stock alive after the parent tree should perish; to a surprising degree the olive prefers poor and rocky ground, whereas rich soil produces inferior fruit; too much grafting produces a nondescript and cluttered yield of fruit; the top branches if allowed to grow as in Spain and France, while producing a good shade tree, will indeed sap the strength of the tree and give a poor crop; fertilizing with dung is very important, in spite of the preference for rocky ground, and has been practiced since ancient times; the thing to be most guarded against is bitterness in the fruit. All these points, taken from a treatise on ancient olive culture, are duly, though quite casually, noted in Zenos’s Parable of the Olive Tree."
Verses 3–4. The natural tree grew old and began to decay: After receiving their promised land of Palestine, many Israelites fell into apostasy (1200–1000 B.C.).
Verses 5–6. After pruning and cultivating, there was new natural growth, but the top died: The Lord sent prophets to Israel. Some people responded to their message and were righteous; others were not and fell away. Even the priests and rulers most were counted among those who rejected the Lord’s message.
“Young and tender branches” (verse 6) – Seems to refer to the emergence of a righteous element of the house of Israel, this in the midst of gross wickedness.
“Main top thereof began to perish” (verse 6) – The older generation of Israel, steeped in sinful traditions, had become comfortable in their iniquity (1000 B.C.–A.D. 30). The main top’s perishing, as in other scriptures, [may also] symbolize the death of the nation as a political entity (Ezekiel 31:1–14).
Verses 7 and 9. The dead natural branches were burned: The destruction of Israel and Judah, with the death thousands (735–587 B.C.).
“It grieveth me that I should lose this tree” (verse 7) – The Lord Jehovah has a special love for his people Israel. They distinguished themselves in premortality and came to earth through a designated royal lineage.
“Wild olive tree . . . graft them in” (verse 9) – Those who are not naturally of the house of Israel–persons who are true Gentiles, who are not descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob–may, through the ordinances of the gospel and through entrance into the true Church, be adopted into the house of Israel.
“Cast into the fire and burn them” (verse 9) – This verse may be pointing historically to the destruction and scatterings of Israel at the hand of the Assyrians (721 B.C.) and Babylonians (587 B.C.). (See Isaiah 7:17–18; 2 Kings 17:18–23; 18:9–11; Jeremiah 25:8–11.)
Verses 8, 13–14. Natural branches were grafted and planted throughout the vineyard: Israelites were taken away from Palestine by the Lord (735–587 B.C.). Verse 8 mentions a branch that was grafted elsewhere in the orchard, whereas the branches mentioned in verses 13–14 were planted in other areas. (See verses 21, 23, 24, 25.)
“I will graft them” (verse 8) – To be grafted is to come to the knowledge of the true Messiah, join the true Church, and gather where the Saints of God are assembled in that day (see 1 Nephi 10:14). Perhaps grafting here refers to Israelites joining other nations, while planting may refer to groups such as Lehi’s that were led off and relocated. (See 2 Nephi 10:22.)
“The nethermost part of my vineyard” (verse 13) – Scores of prophecies announce that Israel will be scattered to the four quarters of the earth.
“That I may preserve . . . the natural branches” (verse 13) – This scattering and gathering is undertaken to accomplish one major objective: to preserve those natural branches of the tree–those Israelites by birth who have demonstrated their loyalty and faithfulness (italics added to original).
“According to his will and pleasure” (verse 14) – The Lord’s “will and pleasure” is closely tied to his “work and glory.” God–he who knows all things from the beginning–places individuals and groups in locations and circumstances which will maximize their potential for growth and spiritual development. . .
Verses 7, 9–12. Wild branches were grafted into the natural tree: Gentiles joined remnants of Israel to form the Early Christian Church (As early as the 8th century B.C. to A.D. 30–100).
“Perhaps I might preserve the roots” (verse 11) – The metaphor of “the roots” is ambiguous but may refer to the blood of Israel and the influence of that blood throughout the earth. The Assyrians, and to a lesser extent the Babylonians, transferred peoples from other parts of their empire to replace those whom they exiled from their lands. Assyria and Babylon did so to Israel, bringing foreign nations to occupy the promised land almost entirely vacated by Israel (2 Kings 15:29; 17:24–41; 25:25–26). The Samaritans who thus came into being serve as a type of the lineage mingled with the nations. Though literal descendants of Israel, they are “wild” by nature because of their largely Gentile identity.
Verse 15. A long time passed. The Lord waited to see the results of his actions described in the previous verses. This is apparently a reference to the period from the days of Malachi (about 400 B.C.) to a time just beyond that of the ministry of Christ.
Verses 16–18. The wild branches on the natural tree bore good fruit on the strength of the natural roots. This grafting saved the tree. Much good fruit was laid up: The Early Christian Church flourished in righteousness because of the adoption of Gentiles into Israel through baptism and membership in the Church. Many faithful saints brought forth righteous works (A.D. 30–100).
“The fruit thereof was like unto the natural fruit” (verse 17) – After true conversion; after baptism of water and of the Spirit; after dross and iniquity have been burned out of the human soul as though by fire; and thus after one is adopted into the house of Israel–when these things have happened there is no distinction between Israelite and Gentile, no separation of spiritual states, no difference in ultimate rewards. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:27–29).
“Taken hold of the moisture of the root” (verse 18) – That is, they had partaken of those living waters of gospel truth (see John 4:14) available through God’s covenant with Abraham and his posterity.
“Because of the much strength of the root” (verse 18) – Once the blood of Israel courses through the veins of a former Gentile, the convert begins to bring forth tame fruit–deeds and works of righteousness befitting a covenant person, works and faith which lead one to life everlasting (see Teachings, pages 149–150).
“If we had not grafted, . . . the tree . . . would have perished” (verse 18) – Converts–those from within and without the house of Israel–are the life blood of the Church in any age. Their holy enthusiasm, zeal for righteousness, and childlike innocence and submission are ever an immense strength to the Church itself.
Verses 20–28. The Lord of the vineyard and his servant now visit the three (some have interpreted four: 1st – vs. 20, 2nd – vs. 23, 3rd – vs. 24, 4th – vs. 25) branches of Israel scattered (planted) in the nethermost part of the vineyard. Exactly who is being represented here by the first two groups is unclear. The third group seems to be an obvious reference to the Lehites. Some writers have suggested the possibility that the three are the ten tribes, scattered Jews, and Lehites. For all we know, the three groups may symbolize the scattering of numerous branches of Israel, many of which we simply have no knowledge of.
Verses 19–22. A natural branch, planted in “a poor spot” of the vineyard and long nourished, brought forth much good fruit: A group of scattered Israelites (see verses 13–14) produced faithful saints with righteous works.
Verse 23. A second natural branch, planted in a spot “poorer than the first” and long nourished, brought forth much good fruit: A second group of scattered Israelites (see verse 13–14) produced faithful saints with righteous works.
▸ Verses 24–25. A third natural branch, planted in the choicest spot of ground (verse 43) and long nourished, brought forth both good and wild fruit: These undoubtedly are Lehi’s children in their promised land, among whom were both faithful and unfaithful individuals. The “good fruit” and “wild fruit” many not necessarily refer to Lamanites and Nephites, respectively, nor vice versa. Both righteousness and unrighteousness were found among both groups.
Verses 26–28. The Master pruned and cultivated the branch planted in the choicest spot of ground: Prophets were sent to Lehi’s descendants to persuade them to repent.
Verse 29. A long time passed. The passage of time indicates the continued development of the activities described in the previous verses. “When the gospel sun went down almost two millennia ago,” Elder Bruce R. McConkie explained, “when the priesthood was taken away and a dreary dusk descended in the congregations that once had known light, when light and truth no longer shone forth from heaven, and when those on earth no longer were taught and directed by apostles and prophets, then spiritual darkness reigned.” (CR, April 1978, p. 17).
Verses 30–32. The natural tree with wild branches (see verses 16–18) now brought forth much fruit of “all sorts.” But none of it was good: Apostasy had overcome the Christian Church, leaving errant Christianity in all its varieties. The long night of darkness had taken its terrible toll on the world, particularly the religions of the world. Few persons of Israelite lineage in the nineteenth century had but a vague idea of their lineal tie to Abraham; even fewer persons were aware that the religion of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was nowhere to be found on earth (A.D. 100–1820).
“This long time have we nourished this tree” (verse 31) – The Lord’s patience with the house of Israel, his tender regard, his eagerness to gather her unto the true fold–all these things witness that God simply will not let Israel go. The cry of martyrs and the blood of testators have ascended again and again to the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth in behalf of Abraham’s descendants. So much effort. So much labor. So many tears.
“It profiteth me nothing” (verse 32) – False religions, regardless of the depth of their sincerity or the fervor of their zeal, can never bring man and women to that point of faith whereby they can hold on eternal life. They are broken cisterns which cannot hold the waters of life. The finite cannot give birth to the infinite. Only eternal truths bring eternal rewards.
Verses 33–37. The wild branches on the natural tree had overpowered the roots, yielding bad fruit: False influences had gained control of Christianity, yielding distorted doctrine and incorrect works (A.D. 100–1820).
“The tree . . . and the roots thereof profit me nothing” (verse 35) – Lineage is almost insignificant when righteousness is absent. Of what value to be of a noble family when one is not noble? Israel cannot be a light to the world (see Isaiah 49:6; D&C 86:11) while she herself stands in the darkness.
“The roots are good” (verse 36) – To the missionaries of the latter days the Lord has said: “Ye are called to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect,” for, the Lord explained, “mine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts” (D&C 29:7). For theirs was a “believing blood.”
“What then is a believing blood? It is the blood that flows in the veins of those who are the literal seed of Abraham–not that the blood itself believes, but that those born in that lineage have both the right and a special spiritual capacity to recognize, receive, and believe the truth” (A New Witness for the Articles of Faith by Bruce R McConkie pages 38–39).
Verses 38–39. All three natural branches planted elsewhere in the orchard became corrupt: The Israelites who were led out of Palestine and placed elsewhere became unfaithful. The Palestinian Church, the Lehites, the ten tribes, and all other scattered branches of Israel eventually sinned against light and lost the privileges of revelation and priesthood. Were this not the case, there would have been no need for a restoration in 1820. . .
Verse 40. The third natural branch died when the wild fruit overcame the good fruit: The wicked among Lehi’s descendants overpowered the righteous (A.D. 200–421).
Verses 41–42. All of the trees brought forth only corrupt fruit: From the time unrighteousness prevailed among Lehi’s descendants, there was a universal, worldwide apostasy (A.D. 421–1820).
Verses 43–45. The Master had cleared the ground and planted the third natural branch in the choicest spot of ground. Because the bad fruit was not removed, it was able to overpower the good fruit: Lehi’s people, separated from the rest of the world in a chosen land, brought forth both righteous and unrighteous works. Finally, evil was able to prevail over righteousness, until the entire nation was overcome by sin (A.D. 200–421).
“I also cut down that which cumbered this spot” (verse 44) – Reference here is to the destruction of the Jaredite nation. See Ether 15; Moroni 9:23.
Verses 46–48. Despite the care taken by the Master, the branches had overpowered the roots, and the entire orchard had become corrupt: False influences overcame the pure doctrines and practices of the gospel, and a universal apostasy prevailed (A.D. 421–1820). When one thinks on the apostasy it is easy to suppose of corrupt empire organizations dictating the affairs and even the governments of men; and that eventually from this empire many other religions and beliefs derived. In other words Catholicism is quick to come to mind. Throughout history the world has produced great men, but during the dark ages it would have produced many more had they just had the true gospel light. One must always readily remember that the Catholic Church did not create the apostasy, the apostasy created the Catholic Church.
“I have stretched forth mine hand almost all the day long” (verse 47) – In the book of Isaiah, the hand of the Lord is a prophetic metaphor that denotes an individual–the Lord’s servant.
“Is it not the loftiness of thy vineyard . . . the branches . . . grew faster than the strength of the roots” (verse 48) – A great cause of universal apostasy was none other than the universal sin – Pride. Taking strength to oneself implies alienation and wickedness (Psalms 52:1–9; Isaiah 10:13). Trees that grow faster than their roots are susceptible to changes in temperature and soil conditions, often resulting in defective fruit, withering, and disease.
Elder Carlos E. Asay observed:
“Our personal vineyards become lofty and produce strange fruits when we polish only the ‘outer vessel’ of our lives and allow the ‘inner’ to rot away. I refer to people who perform religious rituals to receive the acclaim of congregations rather than the approval of conscience. I refer to those who become so immersed in administrative and management affairs that they have little time to read, pray, and ponder of the affairs of God. Such persons allow the branches to overcome the roots in their lives” (“Rooted and Built Up in Christ,” in The Old Testament and the Latter–Day Saints, page 13).
Verses 49–51. The Master decided not to destroy the corrupted orchard yet: The time for the destruction of the wicked was not yet. As in the parable of the wheat and the tares, the Lord determines not to destroy the world yet, lest chances for future righteousness be destroyed also. (See D&C 86:4–7.)
Verses 52–56. The natural branches that had been planted elsewhere in the orchard were grafted into the original natural tree, whose branches in turn were grafted onto the roots of those natural branches that had been placed in other parts of the orchard: Formerly isolated groups of scattered Israel become one with the main body of Saints in a worldwide Church. This includes such groups as Lehi’s posterity and the descendants of the scattered tribes of Israel. There is a union of Israel and Gentiles in the Lord’s church (A.D. 1820 to the Millennium). Israel lives! Her literal gathering has commenced. From the ends of the earth she comes to the mountain of the Lord’s house to be taught in the ways of the God of Jacob.
Verses 57–69. The Master and his servants, knowing that the end was drawing near and that it would be their last effort in the orchard, worked vigorously to prune and cultivate the trees: The Lord sent prophets in the last days, through whom he has worked with his covenant people to help them bring forth works of faith and righteousness. (D&C 24:19; 33:3; 39:17; 43:28.) The covenant people of the house of Israel are the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–Day Saints. Only the “most bitter” are expelled from it (verse 57), while the Lord and his servants patiently work with the rest (A.D. 1820 to the Millennium).
“We will trim up the branches” (verse 58) – The trimming of the branches of the olive tree in the last days must surely refer to the cleansing and purifying of the Saints of God, the preparing of the bride for the Bridegroom. Sanctification is a refining process, usually a lengthy transformation whereby a man or woman begins to shed carnal cares and worldly whims and put on the attributes and character of Christ their Lord.
“Those branches which are ripened” (verse 58) – The Lord will cut off from his Church those branches of Israel–individuals and groups–who have ripened in iniquity, those who might have proven to be a chosen people but refused to make proper choices.
“Grafted. . . into their mother tree” (verse 60) – The announcement that Israel is to be grafted into “their mother tree” affirms that the promises embrace literal blood lines. The promise given to Abraham was that it would be the “literal seed, or the seed of [his] body,” who, in the last days, would hold the priesthood and bear the responsibility to take the message of salvation to all nations (Abraham 2:9, 11). Such are “lawful heirs, according to the flesh” (D&C 86:9; 103:17–18; 132:30–32).
“They shall be one” (verse 68) – This identifies celestial persons: those who are “one” are one with God (John 17:21–23).
Verses 70–72. “Other servants . . . were few” (verse 70) – The Savior taught that “the harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest” (Luke 10:2). In the last days there will be “few” laborers when compared with the size of the mother of abominations, though in reality the number of missionaries will be multitudinous.
“The Lord of the vineyard also labored with them” (verse 72) – President Harold B. Lee spoke the following penetrating words as he closed a general conference:
“There has come to me in these last few days a deepening and reassuring faith. I can’t leave this conference without saying to you that I have a conviction that the Master hasn’t been absent from us on these occasions. This is his church. Where else would he rather be than right here at the headquarters of his church? He isn’t an absentee master; he is concerned about us. He wants us to follow where he leads.” (CR, October 1972, page 176.)
Verses 73–76. Natural fruit began to grow throughout the orchard. Over the course of time the bad branches were removed, and all of the trees brought forth good fruit: The Church will become purified through the work of the Lord and his servants. Consistent acts of faith and righteousness will be performed by the Lord’s Saints, who will establish Zion in the world and will be found worthy to stand in the Lord’s presence when he comes again. In speaking of this glorious day to Jeremiah, Jehovah said: “And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” (Jeremiah 31:3).
“They did keep the root and the top thereof equal, according to the strength thereof” (verse 73) – This is denoting a balance between spiritual and political power.
“Natural fruit . . . most precious unto him from the beginning” (verse 74) – Israel has been dear to the heart of Jehovah, not only since her mortal inception in the days of the great patriarchs but also from those premortal times when they distinguished themselves by faithfulness and qualified thereby to tabernacle the flesh through a royal lineage.
“For a long time” (verse 76) – The “long time” spoken here is the Millennium, a period of one thousand years.
Verse 77. When bad fruit appears again, good and bad will be gathered to their appropriate places, and the orchard will be burned: At the end of the Millennium, when Satan will again obtain power in men’s hearts, the Lord will gather the good to himself, and Satan and his followers will be banished to their “own place,” to suffer eternal condemnation.
“My vineyard will I cause to be burned with fire” (verse 77) – This is a reference to the cleansing and final celestialization of the earth, a time wherein the earth is purged of all that is of a lesser order than the very glory of God the Father. The earth will be burned to prepare for celestial glory. It may be interesting to note of why a burning. For one obvious reason is that fire is known to utterly cleanse and eventually purify.
But another reason is even more interesting. It is in reference to a scripture found in the Doctrine and Covenants 130:7–9:
7 But they [referring to angels] reside in the presence of God, on a globe like a sea of glass and fire, where all things for their glory are manifest, past, present, and future, and are continually before the Lord.
8 The place where God resides is a great Urim and Thummim.
9 This earth, in its sanctified and immortal state, will be made like unto crystal and will be a Urim and Thummim to the inhabitants who dwell thereon, . . .
What is interesting is the words “glass” and “crystal” used in connection with this earth becoming like the one on which God dwells. In quick definition, glass is made up of principally silica sand (silicon dioxide), soda ash (sodium carbonate), and limestone (calcium carbonate); all of which have an abundance on this planet. These raw materials are then mixed and melted at temperatures of 2600 to 2900 F. What more may happen to the earth’s thousands and thousands of miles [cubed] of “sand and rock” when this “vineyard will . . . be burned with fire?”
CONCLUSION.
Christ is the King and Shepard of Israel.
Israel is God’s (Jehovah or Christ) people (Matt. 1:21; Ether 3:14-16 in reference to “his people” or to “my people”). Christ brought repentance to Israel (Acts 5:31).
The two important tribes (Judah and Joseph [Ephraim]) represent the lineage of where the two most important men in the earth’s history come from: Jesus Christ [Judah] and Joseph Smith [Joseph or Ephraim].
WHO ONLY WILL GO TO HEAVEN?
D&C 101:12: “And in that day all who are found upon the watch–tower, or in other words, all mine Israel, shall be saved.”
This is why missionary work is so important. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–Day Saints is Israel; and all the world must join and enter into The New and Everlasting Covenant (The Abrahamic Covenant) to enter the gates of heaven and be crowned with glory in Israel. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–Day Saints is the only true and living theocratically, heavenly organization upon the face of the whole earth (D&C 1:30). It, bearing the responsibility and authority of the Abrahamic Covenant makes it so.
We are God’s Covenant people. This responsibility rests with and within us!
THE END
THE APPENDIX.
Appendix 1: “Of the House of Israel,” by Daniel H. Ludlow, Ensign, January 1991
This is an excellent piece on related scriptures found in all the standard works of the Church and quotes from Church leadership. I included it in its entirety even though scriptural redundancy is apparent.
References from the Scriptures
Many scriptures address the question of lineage directly (which is indicative of its importance), but only a relatively few selected ones can be listed here; pay particular attention to those marked with an asterisk:
Genesis: Gen. 12:1–3*; Gen. 13:14–17; Gen. 15:1–6; Gen. 17:1–8; Gen. 21:12–13; Gen. 22:15–18; Gen. 25:1–2; Gen. 26:1–5*; Gen. 28:1–4; Gen. 32:27–28; Gen. 35:9–12*; Gen. 48:1–20 (JST Gen. 48:5–11); Gen. 49:1–28 (JST Gen. 50:24–38).
Deuteronomy: Deut. 32:8*; Deut. 33:13–17.
Isaiah: Isa. 5:26–30; Isa. 11:10–16*; Isa. 14:1–3; Isa. 27:6, Isa. 12–13; Isa. 49:8–16; Isa. 52:1–12; Isa. 60:1–22; Isa. 61:1–11; Isa. 66:5–13.
Jeremiah: Jer. 3:14–18; Jer. 16:14–21; Jer. 23:5–8*; Jer. 31: chapter heading of LDS edition.
Daniel: Dan. 2:44–45.
Amos: Amos 9:8–9*.
Micah: Micah 5:7–8*.
Zechariah: Zech. 8:1–23; Zech. 10:1–12*.
Romans: Rom. 11:13–36.
Galatians: Gal. 3:6–29 (Gal. 3:8–9*).
Ephesians: Eph. 1:10.
1 Nephi: 1 Ne. 22:1–28.
2 Nephi: 2 Ne. 6:5–18; 2 Ne. 9:1–3; 2 Ne. 30:1–8.
Jacob: Jacob 5:1–77; Jacob 6:1–4.
Helaman: Hel. 15:1–17.
Mormon: Morm. 7:10.
Doctrine and Covenants: D&C 45:24–25; D&C 58:45; D&C 86:8–9*; D&C 90:8–11*; D&C 96:7; D&C 109:57–67 (D&C 109:57–58, 60, 67*); D&C 110:11–12; D&C 113:7–8; D&C 132:30.
Abraham: Abr. 2:8–11*; Abr. 3:14.
Joseph Smith—Matthew: JS—M 1:26–31*.
Joseph Smith—History: JS—H 1:41.
Doctrine and Covenants 86:8–9: “Therefore, thus saith the Lord unto you, with whom the priesthood hath continued through the lineage of your fathers—for ye are lawful heirs, according to the flesh, and have been hid from the world with Christ in God.” [D&C 86:8–9]
Doctrine and Covenants 109:57–58, 60, 67: “That all the ends of the earth may know that we, thy servants, have heard thy voice, and that thou hast sent us; that from among all these, thy servants, the sons of Jacob, may gather out the righteous.… Now these words, O Lord, we have spoken before thee, concerning the revelations and commandments which thou hast given unto us, who are identified with the Gentiles.… And may all the scattered remnants of Israel, who have been driven to the ends of the earth, come to a knowledge of the truth, believe in the Messiah, and be redeemed from oppression, and rejoice before thee.” [D&C 109:57–58, 60, 67]
Statements from Church Leaders
Several leaders of the Church in this dispensation have discussed various aspects of the topic of heirship and adoption.
“Are most members of the Church literal descendants of Abraham by birth?”
President Joseph Fielding Smith made it clear that a majority of the members of the Church today are descendants of Israel and thus of Abraham:
“The Lord said he would scatter Israel among the Gentile nations, and by doing so he would bless the Gentile nations with the blood of Abraham. Today we are preaching the gospel in the world and we are gathering out, according to the revelations given to Isaiah, Jeremiah, and other prophets, the scattered sheep of the House of Israel. These scattered sheep are coming forth mixed with Gentile blood from their Gentile forefathers. Under all the circumstances it is very possible that the majority, almost without exception, of those who come into the Church in this dispensation have the blood of two or more of the tribes of Israel as well as the blood of the Gentiles.” (Answers to Gospel Questions, 5 vols., Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1957–66, 3:63.)
On another occasion President Joseph Fielding Smith emphatically stated:
“The great majority of those who become members of the Church are literal descendants of Abraham through Ephraim, son of Joseph.” (Improvement Era, Oct. 1923, p. 1149.)
While identifying the Lamanites as some of the children of Abraham, President Spencer W. Kimball wrote:
“The Lamanite is a chosen child of God, but he is not the only chosen one. There are many other good people including the Anglos, the French, the German, and the English, who are also of Ephraim and Manasseh. They, with the Lamanites, are also chosen people, and they are a remnant of Jacob. The Lamanite is not wholly and exclusively the remnant of Jacob which the Book of Mormon talks about. We are all of Israel! We are of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Joseph through Ephraim and Manasseh. We are all of us remnants of Jacob.” (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1982, pp. 600–601.)
Concerning the subject of the gathering of Israel, President Brigham Young stated:
“The set time is come for God to gather Israel, and for His work to commence upon the face of the whole earth, and the Elders who have arisen in this Church and Kingdom are actually of Israel.
“Take the Elders who are now in this house, and you can scarcely find one out of a hundred [who is not] of the house of Israel.…
“Will we go to the Gentile nations to preach the Gospel? Yes, and gather out the Israelites, wherever they are mixed among the nations of the earth.… Ephraim has become mixed with all the nations of the earth, and it is Ephraim that is gathering together.…
“If there are any of the other tribes of Israel mixed with the Gentiles we are also searching for them.… We want the blood of Jacob, and that of his father Isaac and Abraham, which runs in the veins of the people.…
“It is the house of Israel we are after, and we care not whether they come from the east, the west, the north, or the south; from China, Russia, England, California, North or South America, or some other locality.… The Book of Mormon came to Ephraim, for Joseph Smith was a pure Ephraimite, and the Book of Mormon was revealed to him.” (Journal of Discourses 2:268–69.)
“Is it possible for the same person to be an Israelite by birth and yet be considered a Gentile?”
Although President Young identified Joseph Smith as a “pure Ephraimite” in the above quotation, so far as the Prophet’s family or blood lines were concerned, Brigham Young and others have recognized that (1) Joseph Smith was from a Gentile nation and (2) some of Joseph Smith’s progenitors may have come from bloodlines other than that of Ephraim. (See Journal of Discourses, 2:268.)
President Joseph Fielding Smith also provided insight on how the term Gentile could apply to Joseph Smith even though he was a descendant of Jacob (Israel) through Joseph, the father of Ephraim:
“In this Dispensation of the Fulness of Times, the gospel came first to the Gentiles and then is to go to the Jews. However, the Gentiles who receive the gospel are, in the greater part, Gentiles who have the blood of Israel in their veins. There is a very significant statement in the words of Moroni as recorded on the title page of the Book of Mormon that it was ”… ‘To come forth… by way of the Gentile.…’
“How did the Book of Mormon come forth? By the hand of Joseph Smith. Yet we read in the Book of Mormon [see 2 Ne. 3:7–15] that Joseph Smith is the descendant of Joseph who was sold into Egypt by his brethren, nevertheless he came by ‘way of the Gentile,’ according to Moroni’s prediction.” (Answers to Gospel Questions, 4:39.)
Thus, Joseph Smith was of the house of Israel so far as his family or blood lines were concerned, but he came from a Gentile nation and thus might also be considered a Gentile in the political or geographical sense.
“How can a Gentile by birth be ‘adopted’ into the house of Israel?”
In considering the principle of adoption, the Brethren consistently refer to the significant allegory of the tame and wild olive tree contained in Jacob, chapter 5. [Jacob 5] It is instructive to read and ponder that chapter in company with the following quotations pertaining to those who might be of Gentile blood who have been baptized into the Church:
BRIGHAM YOUNG: “If any of the Gentiles will believe, we will lay our hands upon them that they may receive the Holy Ghost, and the Lord will make them of the house of Israel. They will be broken off from the wild olive tree, and be grafted into the good and tame olive tree, and will partake of its sap and fatness.… It is so with the House of Israel and the Gentile nations; if the Gentiles are grafted into the good olive tree they will partake of its root and fatness.” (Journal of Discourses, 2:269.)
JOSEPH FIELDING SMITH: “Every person who embraces the gospel becomes of the house of Israel. In other words, they become members of the chosen lineage, or Abraham’s children through Isaac and Jacob unto whom the promises were made. The great majority of those who become members of the Church are literal descendants of Abraham through Ephraim, son of Joseph. Those who are not literal descendants of Abraham and Israel must become such, and when they are baptized and confirmed they are grafted into the tree and are entitled to all the rights and privileges as heirs.” (Doctrines of Salvation, 3 vols., Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1954–56, 3:246.)
The clear teaching of the prophets is that few persons not of the blood of Abraham have become members of the Church in this dispensation; the terms “adopted into the house of Israel” or “assigned to a tribe of Israel” pertain only to those relatively few members.
It is important to remind ourselves that the blessings of eternity are guaranteed for all who are faithful to the gospel of Jesus Christ, regardless of their lineage. Furthermore, those blessings are withheld from anyone who is disobedient and unfaithful, again regardless of ancestry. As Nephi stated: “Behold, the Lord esteemeth all flesh in one; he that is righteous is favored of God.” (1 Ne. 17:35.) And Paul reminds us, “They are not all Israel, which are of Israel.” (Rom. 9:6.)
“What special responsibilities are held by Ephraimites in this dispensation?”
President Joseph Fielding Smith and others have made it abundantly clear that the descendants of Ephraim hold the presiding keys to carry forth the work of the Restoration and of the gathering of Israel in the last days. His statement is as follows:
“The members of the Church, most of us of the tribe of Ephraim, are of the remnant of Jacob. We know it to be the fact that the Lord called upon the descendants of Ephraim to commence his work in the earth in these last days. We know further that he has said that he set Ephraim, according to the promises of his birthright, at the head. Ephraim receives the ‘richer blessings,’ these blessings being those of presidency or direction. The keys are with Ephraim. It is Ephraim who is to be endowed with power to bless and give to the other tribes, including the Lamanites, their blessings. All the other tribes of Jacob, including the Lamanites, are to be crowned with glory in Zion by the hands of Ephraim.…
“That the remnants of Joseph, found among the descendants of Lehi, will have part in this great work is certainly consistent, and the great work of this restoration, the building of the temple and the City of Zion, or New Jerusalem, will fall to the lot of the descendants of Joseph, but it is Ephraim who will stand at the head and direct the work.” (Doctrines of Salvation, 2:250–51; italics in original removed.)
From what the prophets have said, then, most members of the Church come from Gentile nations, but they have some Israelite ancestors in their lineage. Therefore, they are not “assigned to” or “adopted into” the house of Israel. They are legal heirs of the covenant, and the lineage proclaimed in their patriarchal blessings identifies the blood line that ties them back to Abraham.
(some italics added to original)
Only the Righteous Are Heirs of Abraham (Vol. 3, pg. 249-250)
This is in answer to in whom, of father Abraham’s seed, is the Covenant active.
“The terms seed, heirs, sons, and daughters, have a much deeper and greater meaning as used in the scriptures in reference to the becoming sons and daughters of Abraham, than to be literal descendants in the flesh. In the scriptural meaning there will be thousands of the literal descendants of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, who will never be called by Abraham’s name or be of the house of Israel. This will be because they have rebelled against the truth and have not placed themselves in harmony with the covenants which are required in order that they may inherit as sons and daughters. In other words, to become a son or a daughter of Abraham, the individual must “do the works of Abraham.” The Lord recognized the fact that the Jews were descendants of Abraham, but they could not be classed as the children of Abraham (John 8:33-59).
“We must remember that there are some blessings which come to us through faithful membership in the Church. Those who are obedient, and who keep the covenants which the Lord requires of those who obtain exaltation, are to be throughout all eternity, the children of Abraham, while those who rebel against the truth will be cut off, just as were the Jews in the days of our Savior.
“I call your attention to the fact also that the Lord has said that those who receive the priesthood and are faithful also become the sons of Moses and of Aaron as well as the seed of Abraham, while the direct descendants of Moses and Aaron, as well as of Abraham, who are rebellious, will be disinherited and will not be called by their names (D&C 84:33-41). We are taught that we are the offspring of God, yet only those who obey will be called the sons of God and the children of God” (Romans 8:14-17; Moses 6:68).
First to Be Last and Last to Be First (Vol. 3, pg. 259)
This refers to who and in what dispensation the responsibilities of the Abrahamic Covenant are given to.
“In the former dispensation, the gospel was first preached to the Jews and then, after they had rejected it, it was taken to the Gentiles. In the dispensation in which we live, the gospel was first taken to the Gentile nations, and scattered Israel other than the Jews were gathered out; and after being preached among the Gentile nations, it shall go the Jews, the first being last and the last being first, as the Savior promised.”
Lehi a Jew by Citizenship (Vol. 3, pg. 262-63)
This comes from the referring of the Nephites as Jews in the Book of Mormon.
“In 1 Nephi 5:14, we are informed that Lehi was a descendant of Joseph, and in 2 Nephi 30:4, it states that the Nephites were descendants of the Jews. Since the Jews were descendants of Judah, how can these statements be harmonized?
“It is true that Lehi and his family were descendants of Joseph though the lineage of Manasseh (Alma 10:3), and Ishmael was a descendant fo Ephraim, according to the statement of the Prophet Joseph Smith. That the Nephites were descendants of Joseph is in fulfilment of the blessings given to Joseph by his father Israel. The Nephites were of the Jews, not so much by descent as by citizenship, although in the long descent from Jacob, it could be possible of some mixing of the tribes by intermarriage.
“It should be remembered that in the days of Rehoboam, son of Solomon, 10 of the 12 tribes of Israel revolted and were known as the kingdom of Israel from that time on until they were carried away into Assyria. The other two tribes of Judah and Benjamin remained loyal to Rehoboam and were known as the kingdom of Judah. Lehi was a citizen of Jerusalem, in the kingdom of Judah. Presumably his family had lived there for several generations, and all of the inhabitants of the kingdom of Judah, no matter which tribe they had descended through, were known as Jews.
“The condition is comparable to conditions today, for example: Many members of the Church have been gathered out of England, Germany, the Scandinavian countries, and other foreign lands. Coming to this country they have taken out citizenship papers, and then they and their descendants are known as Americans, being citizens of this country.”
Children of Israel Foreknown (Vol. 1, pg. 59)
This is in connection with the pre-existent knowledge and fore-ordination of the Israelites as God’s Covenant People, with certain responsibilities here on earth. I believe it may be in reference to the house of Israel, not only anciently, but in modern times as well. God does everything in an orderly manner by designating responsibility. This may answer why God used and still uses a “separate people” in blessing the nations of the world.
“The Lord declared through Moses the following:
‘Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: . . .When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel’ (Deuteronomy 32:7-8).
“A similar passage to this occurs in Acts where Paul declares to the Athenians that the Lord ‘hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation’ (Acts 17:26).
“These passages clearly indicate that the number of the children of Israel were known and the bounds of their habitation fixed, in the days of old when the Lord divided to the nations their inheritance. We conclude, therefore, that there must have been a division of the spirits of men in the spiritual world, and those who were appointed to be the children of Israel were separated and prepared for a special inheritance.”
“The Mormons and the Jewish People,” by Elder LeGrand Richards
This part is more or less the introduction to Elder Richards pamphlet. It is a call out to the Jewish people of the world, to help them recognize that they are not alone as the Covenant people, and that there is another people who shares in the responsibilities and also the afflictions. This is in actuality written unto the Jewish people, but can be beneficial to any who read it.
“If the Jewish people really understood, they would realize that no other people, organization, or church, has as much in common with them as do the Mormons, as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
“You have been driven, robbed, and ravished–so have we. You have been persecuted, mistreated, misunderstood–so have we. Why? We were driven from our homes to desolation beyond the boundaries of the United States. You, too, have been driven. Why? There may be other reasons, but it can scarcely be denied that conflicting religious opinions have played a major role in such unfortunate and related experiences.
“There is possibly no other question upon which the children of God are as seriously divided as upon religious matters. Some of the greatest recorded persecutions have been instigated by religious leaders of men. This is very displeasing to our Heavenly Father. What a power we could be in the world if we were united.
“The Jewish people will find our message most fascinating. The complete accomplishment of our mutual and heaven–assigned responsibilities involves our becoming united (as the descendants of Joseph) with the descendants of Judah (the Jewish people) in the fulfillment of the promises given by the Lord to Abraham and renewed upon the heads of Isaac and Jacob, that through them and their seed all nations of the earth would be blessed.”
Answers by Joseph Fielding McConkie
These are some question posed by Joseph Fielding McConkie in the chapter entitled “Questions common to those who question.” Questions and answers like these can be very helpful when studying, in depth, a subject like this.
Question
Is it logical to suppose that we are literally Abraham’s seed? Isn’t this really figurative?
Answer
It seems logical or reasonable to suppose that we are literally the seed of Abraham if we accept the premise that there is a God in heaven who has a divine plan for his children. If, on the other hand, we assume that God has no interest in who marries whom and what children are born into a particular family, then there would be no logic to it. Perhaps the real question here is how important families are in the plan of salvation. When a man and woman go to the temple and are united as husband and wife for eternity and the Lord makes anew with then the covenant that he made with Abraham and Sarah relative to their posterity, would anyone suppose that he meant their “figurative” posterity rather than the literal seed of their union? What purpose would there be in making a promise to them that had nothing to do with them or their family?
The scriptures are both plain and emphatic in stating that the promise made to Abraham and Sarah was literal. “I give unto thee a promise,” the Lord said, “that this right shall continue in thee, and in thy seed after thee (that is to say, the literal seed, or the seed of the body) shall all the families of the earth be blessed, even with the blessings of the Gospel, which are the blessings of salvation, even of life eternal” (Abraham 2:11). Speaking to Joseph Smith and the early elders of the Church the Lord said, “Ye are lawful heirs, according to the flesh, and have been hid from the world with Christ in God–therefore your life and the priesthood have remained, and must needs remain through you and your lineage until the restoration of all things spoken be the mouths of all the holy prophets since the world began” (D&C 86:9-10). To the Prophet the Lord said, “Abraham received promises concerning his seed, and of the fruit of his loins–from whose loins ye are, namely, my servant Joseph” (D&C 132:30). Language cannot be used more plainly to designate that those promises are literal, not figurative.
Question
Do patriarchs declare lineage or assign it?
Answer
It is the office of a patriarch in giving a patriarchal blessing to identify, by the Spirit of revelation, the blood lineage of those whom he blesses. President Joseph Fielding Smith taught: “A patriarch giving a blessing has the right of inspiration to declare the literal descent of the person receiving the blessing; he does not have authority to assign that individual to any tribe. Through the waters of baptism and the priesthood, Church members become heirs of Abraham with all the rights belonging to the children of Abraham through their faithfulness” (Doctrines of Salvation, 3:171).
The promises given to Abraham are not figurative. He was expressly told they were to extend to his “literal seed, or the seed of the body” (Abraham 2:11). If those of the Bible-believing world properly understood the promises given to Abraham, they would know that the blessings of the priesthood are essential to salvation and that the right to hold the priesthood was given to Abraham and his posterity. It is his seed that are to bear the message of the gospel to all the ends of the earth. Missionaries are expected to have received their patriarchal blessing before they begin their missions. Thus they will have a revealed confirmation that they are of the lineage that has a rightful claim to the priesthood and the attendant responsibilities to declare the message of salvation to the ends of the earth.
Question
What of those who are adopted into the house of Israel? Is there an actual change in their blood so that they and their posterity become literal descendants of Abraham?
Answer
Yes. The Prophet Joseph Smith said: “There are two Comforters spoken of. One is the Holy Ghost, the same given on the day of Pentecost, and that all Saints receive after faith, repentance, and baptism. This first Comforter or Holy Ghost has no other effect than pure intelligence. It is more powerful in expanding the mind, enlightening the understanding, and storing the intellect with present knowledge, of a man who is of the literal seed of Abraham, than one that is a Gentile, though it may not have half as much visible effect upon the body; for as the Holy Ghost falls upon one of the literal seed of Abraham, it is calm and serene; and his whole soul and body are only exercised by the pure spirit of intelligence; while the effect of the Holy Ghost upon a Gentile, is to purge out the old blood, and make him actually of the seed of Abraham. That man that has none of the blood of Abraham (naturally) must have a new creation by the Holy Ghost. In such a case, there may be more of a powerful effect upon the body, and visible to the eye, than upon an Israelite, while the Israelite at first might be far beyond the Gentile in pure intelligence” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 149-50).
I have been repeatedly told that this statement is genetically and physiologically indefensible. That may well be the case, but then, so is the promise of the resurrection. I, for one, believe in both.
“Scriptural Search for the Ten Tribes and Other Things We Lost” by Joseph Fielding McConkie
A comparative doctrinal list (10 points), associated with the house of Israel, due to the Book of Mormon and the revelations of Joseph Smith. This knowledge, therefore, lacks in the Bible–believing world and only gives further insight into this grand doctrine.
1. That the resurrected Christ visited the lost tribes (3 Ne. 16:1–3).
2. That the lost tribes kept scriptural records of their own which someday we will be privileged to read (2 Ne. 29:12–14).
3. That Isaiah’s prophecy relative to Zion putting on her strength and her beautiful garments referred to the restoration of the priesthood and his prophecy of her loosing the bands off her neck referred to the receiving of revelation in the great day of restoration (D&C 113:7–10).
4. That is was necessary for Moses to return and restore “the keys of the gathering of Israel from the fours parts of the earth, and the leading of the ten tribes form the land of the north” (D&C 110:11).
5. That both John the Revelator and the Three Nephites would join us as translated being in our efforts to gather Israel (D&C 77:14; 3 Ne. 28:28–29).
6. That there are “lands” of promise, including the Americas, rather than just the land of the Bible, to which Israel will be gathered (1 Ne. 22:12; 2 Ne. 6:11, 9:2, 10:7–8).
7. That the Jerusalem of the Old World is to be restored and a New Jerusalem is to be built upon the American continent (3 Ne. 20:22; Ether 13:3–13).
8. That the fulness of the gospel as restored through Joseph Smith is “the covenant” which God “sent forth to recover [his] people, which are of the house of Israel” (D&C 39:11; 3 Ne. 6:11).
9. That the gathering centers, as Jacob said, in scattered Israel being “restored to the true church and fold of God” (2 Ne. 9:2). “If they [meaning the Jews] will repent, and hearken unto my words,” the Lord said, “and harden not their hearts, I will establish my church among them, and they shall come in unto the covenant and be numbered among this remnant of Jacob,” unto whom is given a land of inheritance (3 Ne. 21:22).
10. That the gathering centers in accepting Christ as the Book of Mormon bears witness of him (3 Ne. 21:1–11).
The Present Time and Prophecy by James H. Anderson, in a letter dated January 29, 1927.
“Ten Tribes Questions for Thoughtful People” –well written argumentative questions in a rhetorical manner regarding the ten tribes of Israel. (See also Walt Whipple, op. cit., pages 23–24 from The Lost Tribes. Other references include Orson Pratt, Millennial Star, March 1867; the Liahona 3:65; James E. Talmage, The Articles of Faith, page 340 (1917 ed) and page 513 (1924 ed.); Parley P. Pratt, Journal of Discourses, August 26, 1865, vol. 3, pages 185–186; Wilford Woodruff, Journal History, Feb. 25, 1855, page 4, as quoted in The lost Tribes by R. Clayton Clayton Bough, pages 87–88.)
1. Why are we always after the mysterious or fantastical?
2. Why did the Jews look for a Savior who would at that time wipe out the Roman power and give them control when they were unfit to use it because of their dogmatism?
3. Why, in 1833, did the Mormons in Jackson County look for the Ten Tribes to come at that time and deliver them by overthrowing the Missouri mobocrats?
4. Why, when the Saints came here, did many of them refuse to build substantial homes because they thought they were going right back to Zion?
5. Why do some people say, the Ten Tribes will come and “bring their own records with them?” I have heard that preached thousands of times, but have never found a man who could produce that statement authoritatively, or anything like it. Where is it recorded?
6. Did the Jews bring with them the record of the Savior’s life and visits as recorded in the New Testament? Or did other people than the Jews gather and preserve that record, while the Jews as a people decried it?
7. Did the Nephites, Lamanites, or American Indians bring the record of the Savior’s visit on this continent? Or did somebody else get it when it had been hidden up? Would these same Lamanites, or early adventurers after the discovery of America, have destroyed it, had they got hold of it?
8. Then, what basis of comparison have we for saying that the Ten Tribes, or any part of them today, have knowledge and possession of the record of the Savior’s visit to them, at this time, or for centuries past?
9. I have read somewhere that the Lord said that “teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” was “an abomination” in His sight. Is it any less an “abomination” when this teaching is by mystery–loving Mormons than by mystery–loving sectarian preachers who are deceiving the people thereby?
10. Some people assert that the Ten Tribes have with them some other Church than the one of which you and I are members, and have “their prophets” with them in that organization. Then what are you going to do with the Lord’s statement in Doc. & Cov. Sec. 1, verse 30, respecting the Mormon Church, that it is “the only true and living Church upon the face of the whole earth?”
11. If the Ten Tribes, other than us, have “their prophets” with them, why do they have to come to Ephraim–that is, to the Mormon Church, to get their blessings?
12. Who is the prophet to Israel scattered to “the four parts of the earth?” Does not the Doctrine and Covenants, 110:11, say it is Joseph Smith, to whom was given the keys for that calling?
13. Are not the other prophets the thousands of such officers, missionaries and others, who have received their priesthood keys through Joseph Smith?
14. Who is the prophet to lead “the Ten Tribes from the land of the north?” Does not the Doctrine and Covenants, 110:11, say it is Joseph Smith, to whom was given the keys of that leading?
15. Are not the Elders of Israel, members of the tribe of Ephraim, who was one of the Ten Tribes and of the leading tribe thereof in all ages–which Elders have received their keys and calling from Joseph Smith, who had those keys–prophets to the Ten Tribes for the “leading” of whom they have the keys?
16. When the Lord told Joseph Smith (Sec. 133:25) that “they who are in the north countries shall come in remembrance,” did not Joseph Smith know that the “north countries” are northern America, northern Europe, and northern Asia? Didn’t the Lord know as much?
17. Are the Elders of Israel, with the divine prophetic calling which they bear, leading the tribe of Ephraim, the chief of the ten, from these same north countries? Is not this an actual opening of “the leading of the ten tribes from the land of the north” in fulfilment of the mission divinely assigned to the prophet Joseph Smith? The leading of the chief tribe of the ten, from the days of the Prophet Joseph until now, is an indisputable fact. Is not that fact a definite assurance of the following in due time of the remaining nine tribes, his fellows, to receive their blessings “by the hands of the servants of the Lord, even the children of Ephraim,” the leading tribe of the ten upon whom is “the richer blessing?”
18. Is not Ephraim being gathered, “two of a family and one of a city” from among his fellow tribes in these same north countries?
19. Is not Ephraim as we gather him, altogether of the Anglo–Saxon race? And are we not impelled to look for Ephraim’s fellow tribes in the same race as that from which he comes?
20. Does not the Anglo–Saxon race, including even those of that race in northen Russia, such as Finland, Latvia, Esthonia and north Siberia, own all of the “north country” on earth?
21. You probably know that in Israel came the blessing of Abraham that in him and his seed should “all the nations of the earth be blessed.” Was the promise ever made to any other than this part of the Abrahamic race? Was it made to Ishmael, Esau, or Midian?
22. Were the Twelve Tribes divided into “two nations” (1 Kings 11:29–35; 12:16–20, 24), one known in the Bible as Judah and Jews, the other as Israel, Joseph, Ephraim, and the “seed of Isaac?”
23. Has not the Lord persistently recognized this as the only division of the chosen race–two nations?
24. Does He not say (Ezek. 37:22), that in the latter days they still are “two” nations in His sight, and that in the latter days they shall be “one nation,” and “they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all?”
25. Is not the tribe of Manasseh, to which Lehi belonged, one of the tribes assigned to the ten–tribed nation of Israel, or Joseph, or Ephraim, or seed of Isaac, as it is variously termed in the Bible?
26. Have you read the quotations by St. Paul, of this separate branch or nation of Israel, “In Isaac shall thy seed be called?” Have you noted that the sons of Judah, or Judah’s sons, in name, has evolved to the common name Jews; while the sons of Isaac, or Isaac’s sons, has evolved into Saac–sons, or Saxons in conformity with the predictions in Genesis and in the New Testament?
27. Have you noted that the “sons of Ephraim” in the Bible is applied both to the tribe of Ephraim, and the nation of Israel, or Joseph, or Ephraim, and that on page 670 of the Discourses of Brigham Young, now being used by the Priesthood quorums [in the year 1927], he says of the sons of Ephraim, “They are the Anglo–Saxon race?”
28. Have you noted that when the Ten Tribes–those who have not been called out as of Ephraim–shall come to Ephraim for their blessings, “they shall bring forth their rich treasures” (Doc. & Cov. 133:30), not their records?
29. What race has got the rich treasures? What race owns and controls, say four–fifths of all the coal, the oil, the gold, the industrial wealth, the arable land, etc., of the earth? Is it not those who have the “rich treasures” who will bring them?
30. Who said that when “the mountains of ice flow down at their presence,” the Ten Tribes must be viewing those mountains from the peak of the North Pole, and not from the land south, and from which they may look forward?
31. Who said that when the sea is “driven back into the north countries,” the lands of the north shall not be brought to the south, and “the land of Jerusalem and land of Zion be turned back into their own place” (Doc. & Cov. 133:24), to the condition existing before the earth was divided, and the ice be melted by the warmth of the temperate zone?
32. Who said the “mountains of ice” should be melted by the Ten Tribes looking at them, instead of by the Lord’s power, when the mountains shall flow down at His presense?
33. Have the Jews preserved their identity, by mixing only to a limited degree with other races? Hasn’t the Anglo–Saxon race done the same? Doesn’t the Englishman, the Scandinavian, the German, the Anglo–Saxon American, as a race, feel himself superior to the other races–“the head and not the tail” (Deut. 28:13)?
34. Isn’t the Anglo–Saxon race a distinct people with their chief center of power in “the north countries,” yet is at the same time scattered or “pushed together to the ends of the earth” (Deut 33:17)?
35. I know the quoting of the hymn on page 386 of the L. D. S. Hymn Book [perhaps pre–1905], and the saying that Joseph Smith saw and approved it. The same hymn contains the statement how in the grave the “martyred Joseph lies,” showing that it was written after the Prophet’s death. But aside from that, is not President Brigham Young in the statement I have quoted from p. 670, almost as good an authority as the hymn, especially when it is known that no two people were closer than the Prophet Joseph and President Young in discussing doctrines?
36. The Doctrine and Covenants, Sec. 103:17, says of us, “Ye are the children of Israel, and of the seed of Abraham.” How many of those who discuss the subject believe that is true? Did we come from the Anglo–Saxon race, and did Joseph Smith himself?
37. The Doctrine and Covenants also says “As your fathers were led at the first,” etc. (Sec. 103:18). How were they led, as a single tribe of Ephraim or less, or as a body of tribes; and was it by the authority of the Holy Priesthood?
38. Are the times of the Gentiles fulfilled? Jerusalem is no longer “trodden down” (Luke 21:24), hence is not this the Day of Israel, when people are divinely led to discuss the very subject of your letter?
39. Do we believe the Book of Mormon, which says “the more part of all the tribes which have been led away” are “upon the isles of the sea,” especially referring to the western and northern coasts of Europe, but precisely what specific locality Nephi did not then know? (1 Nephi 22:4).
40. Do we believe they will come from the “north and the west” (there is no word for northwest in Hebrew, so north and west mean northwest) (Isa. 49:12), and realize that the British Isles are northwest from Palestine? Whence came the nation that delivered Jerusalem form the Gentiles Osmali dynasty (the body of the Turks being of Esau)?
41. Do we note that the opening of the Doctrine and Covenants (v. 1), separates the “islands of the sea” from the nations, as is done in several places in that book and in the Book of Mormon?
42. Do we realize that the Roman power never crossed the Rhine, or went more than a few miles north of the Black Sea, or into north Scotland, and hence that the “north country” referred to in the Bible was the great “unknown north” covering more than half of Europe? Are we alive to history and to current events in the line of fulfilling prophecy, ancient and modern (Doc. & Cov. 88:79)?
There are few opposing views in regards to the previous questions. Questions 5 and 28, for example, are answered with a statement by President Wilford Woodruff when he said, “...their [Israel’s] records and other choice treasures they will bring with them to Zion. These things are as true as God lives.” Others, as well, have stated as to the fact of the records actually brought in the hands of these lost tribes. Besides opposition to some of these questions, Bruce R. McConkie partially concurs with question 10, 11, and 13.
Works Cited.
Anderson, James H. God’s Covenant Race. Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1944.
Anderson, James H. The Present Times and Prophesy. Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1933.
Brewster, Hoyt W., Jr. Behold, I Come Quickly. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1994.
Brewster, Hoyt W., Jr. Isaiah Plain and Simple. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1995.
Brough, Clayton R. The Lost Tribes. Bountiful: Horizon Publishers & Distributors, Inc., 1994.
Browning, Paul K. "Gathering Scattered Israel Then and Now." Ensign. Salt Lake City: Intellectual Reserve, Inc., July 1998.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–day Saints.Book of Mormon Student Manual. Salt Lake City: Church Education System, 1996.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–day Saints.Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual. Salt Lake City: Church Education System, 1981.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.Gospel Principles. Salt Lake City: Church Education System, 1997.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.Old Testament Student Manual, Genesis–2 Samuel. Salt Lake City: Church Education System, 1981.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.Old Testament Student Manual, 1 Kings–Malachi. Salt Lake City: Church Education System, 1982.
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, 2001: "Anglo–Saxon," United States, 2001. Available at: http://www.bartleby.com/65/an/AnglSxs.html (cited 01/29/03).
Elder, Isabel Hill. Celt, Druid and Culdee. Oklahoma: Hoffman Printing Co., 1990.
Gileadi, Avraham. The Last Days. Salt Lake City: Argon Press, 1998.
Green, Arnold H. "Gathering and Election." The Journal of Mormon History. Spring 1999. [FINISH]
Halkin, Hillel. Across the Sabbath River, In Search of a Lost Tribe of Israel. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002.
Klausner, Joseph. The Messianic Idea in Israel. London: George Allen and Unwin LTD, 1956.
Kraut, Ogden. The Gathering of Israel. Salt Lake City: Pioneer Press, 1995.
Largey, Dennis L. Book of Mormon Reference Companion. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 2003.
Ludlow, Daniel H. "Of the House of Israel." January 1991.
Ludlow, Victor L. Unlocking the Old Testament.
Lund, Gerald N. The Coming of the Lord. Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft, Inc., 1971.
Madsen, Truman G. Joseph Smith the Prophet. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, Inc., 1989.
Mauss, Armand L. All Abraham’s Children. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2003.
Mauss, Armand L. "In Search of Ephraim." The Journal of Mormon History. Spring 1999. [FINISH]
McConkie, Bruce R. "Come Let Israel Build Zion." May 1977.
McConkie, Bruce R. The Millennial Messiah. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., [FINISH]
McConkie, Bruce R. Mormon Doctrine. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, Inc., 1979.
McConkie, Bruce R. "Strengthening the Stakes of Zion." July 1973. McConkie, Clay. The Gathering of the Waters, A New Discussion of the Lost Tribes of Israel. Salt Lake City: Publishers Press, 1997.
McConkie, Joseph Fielding. Answers. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1998.
McConkie, Jospeh Fielding, Millet, Rrobert L. Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, Volume II – Jacob through Mosiah. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, Inc., 1988
McConkie, Joseph Fielding. "Scriptural Search for the Ten Lost Tribes and Other Things We Lost." BYU, Annual Religious Education Faculty Summer Lecture, June 1987.
Millet, Robert L. The Mormon Faith. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1998.
Nibley, Hugh W. Lehi in the Desert. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., [FINISH]
Nibley, Hugh W. "The Meaning of the Temple." Temple and Cosmos. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1992.
Nibley, Hugh W. Since Cumorah. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., [FINISH]
Peterson, Mark E. The Unknown God. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, Inc., 1978.
Reynolds, George. Are We of Israel?. Salt Lake City: Geo. Q. Cannon & Sons Co. Printers, 1895.
Richards, LeGrand. The Mormons and the Jewish People. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, [FINISH]
Roberts, B. H. The Truth, The Way, The Life. San Francisco: Smith Research Associates, 1994.
Robinson, Stephen E. Believing Christ. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1992.
______. Saturday Night Thoughts, a Series of Dissertations on Spiritual, Historical and Philosophic Themes. Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1921. [FINISH]
Smith, Joseph, Jr. History of the Church, 7 vols. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1932-51.
Smith, Joseph Fielding. Answer to Gospel Questions. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1966.
Smith, Joseph Fielding. Doctrines of Salvation, 3 vols. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft Inc., 1954, 1955, 1956.
Smith, Joseph Fielding. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1976.
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Talmage, James E. Jesus the Christ. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1982.
Taylor, John W. The Coming of the Saints. California: Artisan Sales, 1985.
Taylor, John. The Government of God. [FINISH]
Thompson, G. Forest. Greetings Between Judah and Joseph. [FINISH]
Whiston, William. The Works of Josephus. Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1987.
Whitehead, E. L. The House of Israel. Independence: Zion’s Printing and Publishing Co., 1947.
Widtsoe, John A. Discourses of Brigham Young. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1954.
We have actually been referred to as an "Old Testament" church because of our interest in this subject. We are literally performing one of the greatest tasks in all the history of the world. We are part of a great conclusion to an ancient Biblical pageant that has been in the process for thousands of years. We have a responsibility that may seem overwhelming. If it doesn't, either you don't understand, don't care, or are secure enough with the power of God and your own limitations in the matter. This subject has been spoken of by every prophet since God ever spoke to man. It is so vital to us who live in these last days that even our scriptures (Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price) many times have this topic as a central theme.
The Book of Mormon Reference Companion illustrates this very point:
Other than the central message that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, who manifests himself to all nations (2 Ne. 26:12), no doctrine thread weaves itself more consistently through the tapestry of the Book of Mormon [as well as in all the scriptures] than God’s tender regard for the house of Israel. The mission and destiny of the Lord’s chosen people are inextricably tied to the destiny of the earth and its inhabitants (3 Ne. 23:1-2, Morm. 5:10, Deut. 32:8). Just as the scattering of Israel symbolizes the Fall and the effects of alienation from things of righteousness, so also does the gathering of Israel typify and thus testify of the power of the Atonement, the power of the Almighty to gather and restore and reconcile and embrace his chosen people, the family of God (2 Ne. 9:1-4).Before beginning, an understanding of a few words are necessary. You will find these words anywhere you read about the house of Israel. I have included a rather lengthy definition of each word to help us understand how they relate to the subject.
1. Birthright: There are two definitions of the word birthright. (1.) The birthright blessing and (2.) the birthright inheritance. The birthright blessing is special blessings, rights, powers, and privileges given to the firstborn son or to the son which exercises distinctive righteousness more than any other within the family. Elder Bruce R. McConkie, in Mormon Doctrine explains that "worthiness, ability, and other requisites are also involved" with the giving of the birthright. Professor Victor Ludlow, of BYU, in his book Unlocking the Old Testament defines birthright as dealing "with the physical property" of the father which was given to the birthright son. "With the inheritance," the birthright son "assumed responsibility for his mother and unmarried sisters. He also was to be a financial resource... for the physical welfare of the family and usually served as the social–political leader of the family or clan." He continues: "The birthright blessing was [also] spiritual. In the patriarchal order of the priesthood, it included the keys of the priesthood and the authority to preside as the religious leader of the family or clan. Rather than automatically belonging to the eldest son, it was given to the most righteous son. In fact, for all the patriarchal families with more than one son, the birthright blessing went to a younger son." The foremost characteristic of the birthright son is responsibility. Responsibility: a word that continues to come up over and over again. Jehovah, being the Firstborn of God, in addition to being very righteous in the premortal world, received the birthright. He was bestowed (given sacred responsibility) with the eternal and infinite responsibility of the salvation of everyone and everything which was under His creative power.
2. Israel: This was the name given to the patriarch Jacob by the Lord. Through translation it can have a variety of meanings: let God prevail, contender with God, soldier of God, prince of God, ruling with God. The word Israel has been used as an identification or standard of a people. Elder James E. Talmage, in his timeless book Articles of Faith has said that, "the name Israel thus held with commendable pride by the remnant of a once mighty nation, was used in a figurative manner to designate the covenant people who constituted the Church of Christ." This means that the name Israel was not only in reference to the literal family (seed) of Israel, as we speak of later, but is in direct relation to any faithful member of the Lord's church. All of the descendants of the patriarch Israel have become known as the Israelites. Because of the promises God made with Israel, the term Israelite is not only known as a people or nation, but as a belief and philosophical system.
3. Jew: Any descendant of Judah, Jacob's fourth son. In other words "Judahite" has become known as "Jew." Over the centuries it has become associated with all the tribes of Israel, even though the word strictly defines the family of Judah. For example, an individual may consider himself a Jew, even though he if from the tribe of Reuben. In this sense, the man is either living in Jerusalem or under the rule of the tribe of Judah. Now days, the Jews of the world believe that only they are God's chosen people. What they do not remember is that they are only 1 in 12. There are eleven other tribes who have all the rights, privileges, and blessings of what they've been given.
4. Gentile: Those not of the house of Israel. The word is simply defined as "not of us." Though the word is generally associated with this topic, it could easily be used in the following sentence: Californians believe that if you're not from California you are a Gentile. Chief editor of the Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Daniel H. Ludlow, in his article "Of the House of Israel," in the Ensign explains that "to a Hebrew, a Gentile is a non–Hebrew; to an Israelite, a Gentile is a non–Israelite; and to a Jew, a Gentile is a non–Jew. In this sense, some Latter–day Saints have referred to those who are not members of the Church as Gentiles, even though they might be Jews! The word Gentile might also be used in several different ways to refer to a family, religious, political, or even geographical relationships. For example, a person might be considered an Israelite in a family or blood sense, but might be called a Gentile in a political or geographical sense because he lives in a land or nation that is primarily Gentile, or non–Israelitish."
5. House: The family of or all the rightful descendants or heirs of.
6. Lineage: To descend in a line from a common progenitor. Patriarchal blessings may use terms "such as 'son of,' 'daughter of,' 'seed of,' 'blood of,' 'descendant of,' or 'from the loins of'" to indicate a direct lineage.
7. Adoption: The acceptance of a Gentile into the house of Israel. When a nonmember joins the church he or she is adopted into the house of Israel. He is considered to be the literal seed of Israel. The word adoption is generally taken the same as baptism. Much more of this will be discussed later on.
8. Covenant: President John Taylor in his work The Government of God has already given the perfect definition:
The making of a covenant naturally implies two parties: in such cases, God is one, the people the other. If the people fulfill their covenant, the Lord is bound to fulfill his; but if man transgresses then the Lord is not bound to fulfill his engagement. For instance, in speaking to ancient Israel, he said, "And it shall come to pass if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all the commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth." (Deut. 28:1). He then describes what those blessings are; and further states, that if they do not observe his statutes they shall be cursed. The Lord set before them blessings and cursings; blessings if they obeyed, but cursings if they disobeyed. Man, then, acts as a moral agent, to improve upon the blessings which God puts within his power, or not, as he pleases; and it is the abuse of this moral agency, which has filled the world with misery and distress.In the Book of Mormon the word "covenant" and its variants appear 154 times, of which three-fourths are in reference to the covenant nature between God and man. The Book of Mormon holds the purpose "to show unto the remnant of the house of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord" (Book of Mormon, Title Page). God has always used the administration of covenants. The Lord making a covenant with man is necessary for man to do what is necessary for his salvation. It is unfortunate that mankind is not strong and motivated enough to keep the commandments of God all on his own. It is the nature of man to be this way. Therefore, God initiates covenants, sacred agreements that are designed to lead man in the right way he should go in life.
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NOAH.
We begin our historical background with Noah (nó–akh, meaning rest). For the sake of interest, I have included the Hebrew pronunciation and meaning for every name. These are taken from The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Starting here is logical due to all the living world directly descending from Noah and his family. Noah’s family, in the ark, consisted of eight individuals. Together, they repopulated the world after the cleansing effect of the flood. The flood occurred around 2,344 B.C.
Noah and his wife had three sons (in the ark). The names of these sons were Japheth (yeh–feth, expansion), Shem (shame, name), and Ham (khawm, hot, from the tropical habitat). All three sons were very righteous. Moses explained that they "gave heed, and... were called the sons of God" (Moses 8:13). This is an important concept to remember. All three of Noah's sons were good men. To be "called the sons of God" infers something significant.
Like I have alluded to prior, everyone alive today has come from one of these three sons. Each son is important, having significant divisions among each other. Noah said concerning the mandates of his sons in what is one of the most important scriptures in the book of Genesis: "God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant" (Gen. 9:27). In the event when this was said, Noah was informing Ham that through his wickedness (with his father’s garment in the tent) his [Ham’s] son Canaan would not be a beneficiary of the priesthood. This would include all of Ham’s posterity. Hugh Nibley, in his book Lehi in the Desert, explains this difficult concept more fully (pgs. 160-164).
The scripture also suggests the future condition of Shem’s posterity, and how they are going to be the instruments of salvation for the posterity of Japheth. "The tents of Shem" is a simple metaphor of the protective medium God offers to all the world by means of Shem's posterity. There are characteristic degrees with each of these three lineages. Comparatively, we know the levels of blessings attached to the three degrees of glory (JST 1 Cor. 15:40–42; D&C 76:50–113). These glories are assigned because of the deeds performed in this mortal life. Perhaps in following the same pattern of logic we can come to the conclusion that in the premortal realm we–who are all born after Noah–were assigned to "three degrees" (Shem, Japheth, and Ham) here upon the earth according to our use of agency.
A description of each of the sons of Noah and their posterity are here illustrated:
Japheth: His descendants are whom the Israelites refer to as the Gentiles (gó–ee, meaning "foreigners," "other," "not of us"). Even though his descendants are called Gentiles, the name has taken on other forms of meaning throughout Biblical history. (See definitions above)
Shem: His descendants are of whom the house of Israel will come from. Shem received the birthright (Gen. 9:26), and was noted for his righteousness by the reference of him being "the great high priest" (D&C 138:41). It has been suggested that he is the same person as Melchizedek (mal–kee–tseh–dek, king of right), the great prince of Salem (shaw–lamé, peaceful). Melchizedek is one of the most righteous and honorable men that ever lived. He taught the prophet Abraham. Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek (Gen. 14; Heb. 7:4–10). He was so righteous that the holy priesthood after the order of the Son of God has been named after him (Heb. 7:1–3, Alma 13:14–19, D&C 84:14, 107:1–4). Shem’s descendants are called Semites.
Ham: His descendants are those of the dark-skinned races. Ham married a woman by the name of Egyptus, a descendant of Adam’s son Cain. Her name "signifies that which is forbidden" (Abr. 1:23). Ham's descendants were cursed as pertaining to the priesthood of God (Abr. 1:26). It is important to know that their skin had a darker color due to an earlier curse the Lord had put upon the land of their ancestors (Moses 7:8, 22). The priesthood curse is not directly related to the color of their skin. One of Ham’s daughters discovered the land of Egypt while it was still under water. Afterwards, she settled her sons in that land and, thus, “preserved the curse" (Abr. 1:24). This is all we know of the beginnings of Ham's posterity, the Canaanites.
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THE ANCIENT HOUSE OF ISRAEL.
ABRAHAM.
Ten generations later (about 2,022 B.C.) through Noah’s son Shem, there arose a mighty prophet by the name of Abram (ab–rawm, high father or exalted father). Because of Abram's desire "to be one who possessed great knowledge, and to be a greater follower of righteousness" (Abr. 1:2), the Lord eventually made a covenant with him while he lived in the city of Ur (Abr. 1:17–19; 2:1), which is located in present day Kawait. The covenant was meant to be passed on to Abram's posterity. Just as a side note, it's important to know that God made covenants with men long before Abram. God covenanted "with Adam and Eve and with all the ancient Patriarchs and prophets and their wives. For example, God made covenants of various kinds with Enoch;. . . Moses; the kings of Israel and Judah, including David, Solomon, and Josiah (2 Chr. 34:29–32); and many of the prophets." The covenant that God made with Abram was the first of its kind, incorporating a worldwide perspective.
After the covenant was made, Abram’s name was soon changed to Abraham (ab–raw–hawm, father of a multitude or exalted father of many nations). The changing of names is nothing new is the scriptures. It usually is connected with a great life-changing event in the person's life. For example, when Saul saw a light and heard the voice of God, he experienced a Divine intervention and soon changed his name to Paul. The covenant God made with Abraham is known as the Abrahamic Covenant. Everyone of Abraham’s literal (physical) descendants, who are righteous, are heirs to this covenant. Their righteousness is absolutely mandatory of heirship. The Lord told Abraham that this covenant, and in the following scriptural case, the priesthood--which is always affiliated with the covenant--"shall continue in thee, and in thy seed after thee (that is to say, the literal seed, or the seed of the body)" (Abr. 2:11). Abraham reverenced the majesty and sacred name of God; therefore, the Lord used this to convey the seriousness of this eternal contract: "For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself" (Heb. 6:13). Abraham’s descendants are known as the Hebrews (ib–reé, a descendant of Eber [an ancestor of Abraham]) (Gen. 14:13).
The Abrahamic covenant came with a sign or token to all its recipients. This token is known as circumcision (from the Latin meaning "to cut around"). It was directed by the Lord to Abraham that "ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you" (Gen. 17:11). It symbolized the sacred nature of separation or dedication to God. It also symbolized a separation from the world, a separation from sin. The LDS Bible Dictionary states that "the subjects of circumcision were male Israelites, properly when eight days old (Gen. 17:12), but sometimes at a later age, slaves born in the house or bought with money (Gen. 17:13), and strangers who wished to eat at the Passover (Ex. 12:48). The significance of circumcision was that it was the manifest token of the covenant that the Lord had made with Abraham and his seed." The Lord explained why he established this token of the covenant in the Joseph Smith Translation (JST) of Genesis 17:3–7, 11. The number eight is what is significant here. In many ways, eight represents a covenant. There was eight individuals on the ark during the flood as the Lord covenanted with Noah that the earth would never again endure a flood of this kind (Gen. 9:1-17; Moses 7: 49-52). In addition to this, the Lord explains "that children are not accountable before me until they are eight years old" (JST Gen. 17: 11)--the age of baptism in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where baptism is the first covenant made.
In the scriptures, there are many accounts that emphasize the deeper, spiritual implications of circumcision. "The Lord speaks of true circumcision as being the circumcision of the heart. The heart that is 'circumcised' is one that loves God and is obedient to the Spirit. The 'uncircumcised in heart' are wicked, proud, and rebellious' (Ezekiel 44:7; see also Deut. 10:16; 30:6; Jer. 4:4; 44:7). Therefore, though a man may be circumcised according to the order of the covenant, if he was unrighteous "the covenant was inactivated and the circumcision became profitless." Circumcision was merely an outward sign of the change of heart that is required in the inward man. This meaning to the practice is one that separates the seed of Abraham from the rest of the world. The Old Testament Student Manual further explains:
The Abrahamic covenant makes frequent reference to one’s seed (see Gen. 17:6–12). The organ of the body that produces seed and brings about physical birth is the organ on which the token of the covenant was made. The organ of spiritual rebirth, however, is the heart (see 3 Nephi 9:20). Thus, when a person was circumcised it signified that while he had been born into the covenant, he need not to be baptized until he became accountable before the Lord. But spiritual circumcision, or the circumcision of the heart, must take place once one becomes accountable or one is not considered true Israel. As Paul said so aptly, ‘For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which outward in the flesh: but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God’ (Romans 2:28–29).It is vital to understand at this point that no one on earth had in their possession any of these same things. No one, besides this group of people could officiate in the work of God. There was only one group, with one purpose, unified under one God to do His one sacred work. It was intended that everyone knew the core truths in a unified manner. Opinions will always come and go, but the doctrines of God represent the truths of eternity. This is an extremely important principle and historical fact to understand concerning the groundwork of this covenant.
In essence, the covenant that God made with Abraham is thus:
1. Abraham's descendants would be God’s people if they would be obedient to God's commandments.
2. His descendants would be a blessing to all nations, especially One in particular. Abraham's posterity would hold the Gospel and the principles of salvation to all mankind. Besides the Gospel, Elder Talmage indicates a deeper explanation:
There is another and a more striking proof of blessings flowing to all nations through the house of Israel. The Redeemer was born in the flesh through the lineage of Abraham; and the blessings of that divine birth are extended, not only to the nations and families of the earth collectively, but to every individual in mortality.3. The assurance that the Messiah (maw–sheé–akh, [the] anointed [one]) would come through Abraham’s lineage.
4. They would be given the responsibility of preaching the gospel and of being an influence for good; showing forth God’s goodness and glory.
5. They would be given the responsibility of blessing others by the holy priesthood, God’s authority that no one else had, the authority to act in the name of God, by which all covenants are made.
6. They were given a promise that they would receive certain "choice" lands (Gen. 17; 22: 15-18; Gal. 3; Abr. 2).
7. They were entitled to the blessings of eternal marriage (D&C 132).
8. They were to become a great nation.
9. They were to have a great name, known by everyone for "both good and evil."
10. They were to be blessed highly of God.
11. They were to be a numerous people, exceeding the number of the sands of the sea.
12. Abraham would be considered the "father" of nations (2 Nephi 8:2, speaking to the house of Israel).
13. Sarah (Abraham’s wife) would be considered the "mother" of nations (Gen. 17:16; 2 Nephi 8:2, speaking to the house of Israel).
14. They were to have kings and rulers from their own lineage to govern vast multitudes.
15. They were to construct temples as a greater means of worshiping their God (ex. the tabernacle of Moses and Solomon’s temple).
16. They were to do work for the dead in the temples of God (only after the death of their Messiah) (1 Pet. 3:18-19, 4:6).
17. They were to have scriptures and living prophets called amongst them for the benefit of all men.
18. They were entitled to the greatest gift of God--eternal life--since they had possession of the Gospel and all its priesthood ordinances. No other people had this promise.Genesis 17; Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28; and Abraham 2:8–11 are all excellent explanations of the Abrahamic covenant.
Jehovah commanded Abraham to depart from the city of Ur and travel to the city of Haran, in northern Syria. While in Haran, Jehovah renewed and expanded his covenant with Abraham and then directed that they relocate south to the land of Canaan (Gen. 12:1–6; Abr. 2:6–16). At this time the land of Canaan consisted of many city–states. Here Abraham and Sarah interacted with the people, but mainly lived on the outskirts. Abraham built alters and worshiped at various locations; in effect laying religious claim to the land for future generations of descendants to who the Lord had promised it as a part of the covenant (Gen. 12–23).
Abraham had three wives. “These wives and their sons, listed in order of the wives’ marriages to Abraham, are as follows: from Sarah (saw–raw)–Isaac; from Hagar (haw–gawŕ)–Ishmael; from Keturah (ket–oo–raw, perfumed)–Zimran (zim–rawń, musical), Jokshan (yok–shawń, insidious), Medan (med–awń), Midian (mid–yawń), Ishbak (yish–bawk, he will leave), and Shuah (shoó–akh).”
ISAAC (born: [about] 1,922 B. C.)
There is much said about Abraham’s two sons Isaac and Ishmael (yish–maw–alé, meaning God will hear)–more than any of his others. The Lord told Abraham that the covenant would be passed on through his son Isaac (yits–khawk, laughter) in words such as, “for in Isaac shall thy seed be called” (Gen. 17:21; 21:12; 26:3-4, 24; Rom. 9:7). “To such as may wonder why Isaac was chosen instead of his elder brother Ishmael to bear the covenant, St. Paul explains in his epistle to the Galatians, chapter 4, verses 28, 30, and 31: ‘Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of the promise... For the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So, then, brethren, we are not the children of the bondwoman, but of the free.’” Even though Ishmael was born before Isaac, his Egyptian mother was a handmaiden (or bond woman) to Isaac’s mother Sarah. This, for one, was why Isaac received the birthright. Isaac was born and raised in Canaan. Isaac, through the birthright, was to receive everything, even more than his father. Isaac married Rebekah (rib–kaw, fettering [by beauty]), a relative from the land of Haran; and they had two sons. Their sons were Esau (ay–sawv, handling or rough) and Jacob, both twins.
JACOB (born: [about] 1,862 B. C.)
The birthright was first given to Esau, but he eventually lost possession of it ([read carefully to understand why] Gen. 25:27-34; 26:34-35). The reasoning behind Jacob obtaining the birthright is obscure. There are two arguments as to why. The first is that Easu sold it to Jacob. The second is that Easu took a wife among the daughters of the Hittites, who were Canaanites. The chosen lineage was forbidden to marry outside (lineage–wise) the bounds the Lord had set. Besides, the Canaanites were forbidden to be prophesied to because they had performed mass genocide against the people of Shum (Moses 7:7, 12). Therefore, the birthright was given to Jacob (yah–ak–obé, heel–catcher, i.e. supplanter), whose name was later changed to Israel (yis–raw–al , he will rule as God, Gen. 35:10-12). To escape his brother’s subsequent anger and to find an appropriate bride, Jacob traveled to his ancestral homeland of Haran. Jacob/Israel’s descendants are called the Israelites; if you are a descendant of Israel, then you are an Israelite. It is Jacob’s righteous descendants who constitute the house of Israel and is where the phrase originates from. So significant was this that, the Israelites in every era upon the earth have been designated as such in premortal times. Certain scriptures ascertain this idea: “Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: . . .When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel” (Deuteronomy 32:7–8). A similar passage is found in the book of Acts: “And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;” (Acts 17:26).
BYU professor, Robert L. Millet, quotes Elder Melvin J. Ballard as saying that [the people of] Israel are “a group of souls tested, tried, and proven before they were born into the world. . . Through this lineage were to come the true and tried souls that had demonstrated their righteousness in the spirit world before they came here.”
President Harold B. Lee said:
Those born to the lineage of Jacob, who was later to be called Israel, and his posterity, who were known as the children of Israel, were born into the most illustrious lineage of any of those who came upon the earth as mortal beings. All these rewards were seemingly promised, or foreordained, before the world was. Surely these matters must have been determined by the kind of lives we had lived in that premortal spirit world. Some may question these assumptions, but at the same time they will accept without any question the belief that each one of us will be judged when we leave this earth according to his or her deeds during our lives here in mortality. Isn’t it just as reasonable to believe that what we have received here in this earth [life] was given to each of us according to the merits of our conduct before we came here?Jehovah renewed his covenant with Jacob. Then was his name changed to Israel. The Lord told Jacob that he would receive “the blessing of Abraham,” being the official beneficiary of the covenant and taking full responsibility of the cause (Gen. 28:3–4, 13–14).
You [as Israel] are all the sons and daughters of God. Your spirits were created and lived as organized intelligences before the world was. You have been blessed to have a physical body because of your obedience to certain commandments in that premortal state. You are now born into a family to which you have come, as a reward for the kind of lives you lived before you came here and at a time in the world’s history, as the Apostle Paul taught the men of Athens (Acts 17:26) and as the Lord revealed to Moses (Deut 32:7–8), determined by the faithfulness of each of those who lived before this world was created.
When Jacob returned to Canaan, he had 12 sons, and at least one daughter (Dinah), from each one of his four wives. These women were Leah (lay–aw, weary) and Rachel (raw–khalé), both sisters; and Bilhah (bil–haw) and Zilpah (zil–paw, to trickle as myrrh; or fragrant dropping), both handmaids which were given unto each sister (Gen. 30:4, 9). The children of the handmaids were viewed legally as the children of Rachel and Leah.
Thus, Isaac and Jacob, both father and son, received the birthright blessing of the covenant. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are so well renowned throughout scripture. Their names are universally known throughout Israelite culture. While referencing to the greatness and mercy of God to His people or just to the greatness of Jehovah Himself, the ancient Israelites would usually do it in companionship to these three names. They would commonly use phrases like “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (Exodus 3:6; Matt. 22:32; Mark 12:36; Luke 20:37; Acts 7:32; 1 Nephi 19:10; Alma 36:2). Connotations like this are ordinarily seen throughout the scriptures and this is why.
Israel’s sons were thus (in parenthesis are the meaning of each name and the scripture reference where it is found):
#1-6 offspring of Israel and Leah:
1. Reuben (reh–oo–bané, “See [ye] a son”–Genesis 29:32)
2. Simeon (shim–ōn , “Hearing”–Genesis 29:33)
3. Levi (lay–ve , attached or “Joined”–Genesis 29:34)
4. Judah (yeh–hoo–daw, celebrated or “Praise”–Genesis 29:35)
5. Issachar (yis–saw–kawr, “[he will bring] A reward”–Genesis 30:18)
6. Zebulun (zeb–oo–loon, habitation or “Dwelling”–Genesis 30:20)
#7-8 offspring of Israel and Bilhah:
7. Dan (dawn, judge or “Judging”–Genesis 30:6)
8. Naphtali (naf–taw–le , “[my] Wrestling”–Genesis 30:8)
#9-10 offspring of Israel and Zilpah:
9. Gad (gawd, fortune or “Troop”–Genesis 30:11)
10. Asher (aw–shar , happy or “My happiness”–Genesis 30:13)
11-12 offspring of Israel and Rachel:
11. Joseph (yo–saf , let him add or “Adding”–Genesis 30:24)
12. Benjamin (bin–yaw–men , right hand or “Son of my right hand”–Genesis 35:18)
Each son and his descendants were called tribes; and they, like their progenitors within the covenant, each were given certain responsibilities. The 49th chapter of Genesis explains what some of these are. We know of additional obligations which have been noted throughout the scriptures. There is also the particular duties laid out in the patriarchal blessings of the now modern day members of Israel.
By righteousness, two of the 12 sons (or tribes) were considered more “privileged” and were blessed. Thus, you may find them mentioned more in these conditions throughout the scriptures. They were given even more of a charge for the evangelizing of the covenant and its mission to the world (1 Chron. 5:2; Isa. 11:11–13; Ezek. 37:16–20).
These two tribes were none other than Judah and Joseph.
1. Judah is given the responsibility of being the kings and rulers of the rest of Israel (or the tribes of Israel). Jesus Christ, the King of kings came through this line. Judah is over the temporal welfare of his brethren. Jacob blessed Judah telling him:
Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee. The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be (Gen. 49:8, 10).President Ezra Taft Benson said of the significance of Judah’s blessing (Genesis 49:8-12):
The great blessing to Judah is that it templated the coming of Shiloh who would gather his people to him. This prophecy concerning Shiloh has been subject to several rabbinic and Christian interpretations and the object of considerable controversy. The interpretation given this passage by the Mormon Church is one based on revelation to modern prophets, not on scholarly commentary. It was revealed to Joseph Smith that Shiloh is the Messiah.Judah’s descendants are called the Jews. If you are a descendant of Judah, then you are a Jew; plain and simple.
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As demonstrated in the above diagram, it is plausible to say that every Jew is considered an Israelite, a Hebrew, and a Semite. But not every Semite, Hebrew, or Israelite is considered a Jew. Just as all Israelites are Hebrews and that not every Hebrew is an Israelite, so is every Hebrew a Semite and yet not every Semite is a Hebrew.
JOSEPH (born: [about] 1,771 B. C.)
As a result of family tensions produced when Joseph shared his prophetic dream with his family, he was eventually sold into Egypt by his older brothers (Gen. 37). While in Egypt Joseph rises to power, becoming as a prime minister. The “Egyptians” dominating Egypt at this time were non–Egyptians; they were known as the Hyksos. The Hyksos (of Semitic decedent) had migrated into the Nile delta area and exercised control from 1,700–1,550 B.C. Through Joseph’s position of power in Egypt, he was able to preserve his family from the effects of a famine in Canaan as they relocated to northern Egypt. The family’s move to Egypt was permanent: Jacob and eventually all his children died there (Gen. 39–50).
2. Joseph is given the birthright (1 Chronicles 5:2). This simply means that he is considered to be even more special. Here the word special has, perhaps, a different context of usage of its normal connotation. He is given a double portion of the Covenant through his own two sons. Their names are Ephraim (ef–rah–yim, double fruit) and Manasseh (men–ash–sheh, causing to forget). Ephraim eventually receives the birthright by his grandfather Israel as an extension of Joseph’s birthright (Gen. 48:11–15). Joseph’s responsibility is to save his brethren; and will, therefore, be for the spiritual welfare of all the house of Israel. The tribe of Joseph will be to save his brethren by ministering to their spiritual well–being, just as Joseph of old saved his brothers from famine by bringing them into the land of Egypt. Jacob blessed Joseph telling him:
Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:) Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb: The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren (Gen. 49:22–26).Orson Pratt comments on the significance of Joseph’s blessing (Gen. 49:22–26):
There are several things to be understood in the prophecy. First, he should become a multitude of nations. We understand what this means. In the second place, his branches should run over the wall. Now what does that mean? The Lord in ancient times had a meaning for everything. It means that his tribe should become so numerous that they would take up more room than one small inheritance in Canaan, that they would spread out and go to some land at a great distance. . .Speaking on the birthright given to Joseph, the Old Testament Student Manual tells of Jacob’s oldest son Reuben. Reuben at first was given the birthright and eventually lost it (Genesis 35:20–22): “The inclusion of the brief account of Reuben’s immorality in the historical account may seem unusual, but it explains why Reuben, the firstborn of Leah, forfeited the birthright. Since Rachel was the second wife, her firstborn would then by right inherit the forfeited blessing. Joseph thus was the next legal heir in line, even though he was the eleventh son born. . .The firstborn sons of the handmaids, Bilhah and Zilpah, would not be considered since they were the property of their mistresses and their children were also technically considered Rachel’s and Leah’s property.”
Joseph’s peculiar blessing, which I have just read to you, was that he should enjoy possessions above Jacob’s progenitors to the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills. This would indicate a very distant land from Palestine.
. . .The land of America is specifically designed by the Lord as the land reserved for ‘a remnant of the house of Joseph’ (3 Nephi 15:22).
Knowing and understanding that the tribe of Joseph received the birthright will open new doors of insight and break down so many of the common orthodox traditions. For many of the Jews in the world, as well as for many of the fundamentalist Christians, the thought is traditionally had that the Jewish people are God’s only people, and that the Judeo–Christian world is merely waiting with anticipation upon the events when God will come and redeem (only) them and again, claiming them anew as His people. This statement is in part correct; but the reality of the situation is that the Jews are only one–twelfth part of all of God’s covenant people. They are important and special, but there is still eleven–twelfths of the promised children of Israel who are just as rightfully heirs to the covenanted blessings of God. Out of all the twelve tribes, it is the tribe of Joseph who ought to be revered with disparateness. It is they who received the birthright. The Jews did not. It is just that the Jews were the only division of Israel as a whole to be partially gathered and returned to their homeland (See The Scatterings.) Yet, it is Joseph who is scattered and who will eventually perform a great work for the Lord and for their brethren in the latter days. This is all due to the divine birthright of this lineage.
As illustrated in this picture, the four grand Patriarchs of the Lord’s covenant work in ancient times are Abraham, Isaac, Israel, and Joseph. It is their descendants–literal and adopted– over all the modern world who are the recipients of our Heavenly Father’s greatest blessings.
The following (below) is a chart taken from James H. Anderson’s book God’s Covenant Race. It is used for the purpose of chronologically reviewing the previous information presented. Although we began with Noah, the tenth generation from Father Adam, the chart provides a pedigree of every important person in the early Biblical history. These early patriarchs are vastly important, not only to the religions of mankind, but to basic traditions, practices, and ways of thought. Every individual on the planet at this time, if they could understand their genealogical origin, would find it coursed though these sacred men of our early history. It is appropriate to know who they are, where they correspond in history, and what they did for mankind.
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THERE ARE TWO MAIN GATHERINGS OF ISRAEL.
THE FIRST GATHERING.
The Egyptians reclaimed control over Egypt in [about] 1,550 B.C. They deprived the Hyksos of their reign. This revival of the native Egyptian power created an new empire spanning even into the regions of Canaan (See Bible Map 9). This was most likely the time of the Egyptian oppression of the people of Israel, now residing in the land of Egypt. As this oppression became more and more prevalent, the Lord prepared a deliverer to “rescue” the covenant people.
Moses (mo–sheh, drawing out [of the water], i.e. rescued) is this deliverer. The Jews greatly revere the prophet Moses, as ought the rest of the world; but he was not one of them, meaning he was not Jewish. He was a Levite of the tribe of Levi. He was born to an Israelite mother but raised in the household of an Egyptian king. Moses, later, flees to Midian to preserve his life. There he married and received his divine call to deliver Israel from bondage (Ex. 2–4). After he and his brother Aaron (ă–har–oné) had confronted the pharaoh, he eventually brings the tribes of Israel out of the bondage of slavery from Egypt into the wilderness for 40 years. The tribes of Israel were in Egypt as slaves for [almost] 400 years since the time Joseph initially brought his brothers in from the famine plaguing the land. In Egypt, the Israelites began to adopt the idolatry and customs of the Egyptians. They also began to forget the blessings that God had in store for them, both individually and collectively, considering their ancestral claim to the Abrahamic Covenant.
Jehovah, beginning to reestablish Israel into a new dispensation, revealed to Moses on tablets of stone the fullness of the everlasting gospel. “The yearly Passover not only celebrates the sparing of Israel’s firstborn, but it recalls the Sinai covenant which made Israel a distinctive and chosen people.” After, Moses was told to get down from the mountain where the Lord had just been speaking unto him, “for [the] people, which [Moses] broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves” (Ex. 32:7). To his astonishment, he found the people praising a golden calf, in the satisfaction of their ripened idolatrous ways while developed in Egypt (Ex. 32:2–10). Moses later received a “lesser law” or what is called the preparatory gospel. This is known as the Law of Moses. This was given unto Israel in regards to them not being prepared for the gospel’s fullness. It was less then what they could have had, but much greater than what they then had.
This Mosaic Law did not provide a complete salvation. It was only given to prepare the people to eventually receive all the ordinances of salvation and all the covenant of Abraham. Abinadi, in the Book of Mormon, said, “that salvation doth not come by the law alone; and were it not for the atonement, which God himself shall make for the sins and iniquities of his people, that they must unavoidably perish, notwithstanding the law of Moses” (Mosiah 13:28). Also, in addressing the purpose of the law of Moses to Israel, Nephi said, “we keep the law of Moses, and look forward with steadfastness unto Christ, until the law shall be fulfilled. For, for this end was the law given; wherefore the law hath become dead unto us, and we are made alive in Christ because of our faith; yet we keep the law because of the commandments” (2 Nephi 25:24–25). The Nephites in the Americas were preparing themselves, as should have been the Jews, for the fullness of the gospel which was to be restored to the house of Israel by their Messiah.
The powerful combination of Jehovah’s redemption of the Israelites from the bondage of Egypt (celebrated in the holiday of Passover) and His initiation of a renewed covenant relationship with them at Sinai, the mount where Moses received the new law, provided the basis for the people of Israel’s relationship with the Lord as they entered the promise land to claim at least some of the blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant.
The prophet Joshua (yeh–ho–shoó–ah, Jehovah–saved), eventually, takes Israel into the land of Canaan, the promised land. This part of land was divinely allocated to Israel by the Lord though the covenant. Each tribe received a portion of the land for its own (See map 5, Bible Appendix).
Israel was to be established as a great nation in accordance to the covenant and promises of God. They were to begin their sacred duty to “bless all nations” acting as a “peculiar” people, special to God (Ex. 19:5). This people was God’s instruments of salvation to the whole world. This is a particular time revered by Israel as being their great establishment of power, authority, and perfect distinction as a chosen people under the direction of the Almighty. “Over this period, beginning with Moses and ending with Jeremiah, the distinguishing features of the religion were prophets, priesthood, the promised land, and the temple.” What Israel learned of itself during this time has followed through the ages and has been a source of their traditionalism, either being endorsed by Jehovah and not. More importantly, it also set the precedence and standard for the Lord’s chosen people for all future generations.
Israel learned for itself that there were beautiful, sacred, and favored blessings and characteristics in store for them. One of which is the notation of being a peculiar people. The word peculiar in Latin, peculium, is interesting in its meaning as “private property.” The nation of Israel was designed for a higher purpose as the Lord states through Isaiah that “this people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise” (Isaiah 43:21). Israel was to be the “private property” of the Lord, formed by Him and for His purpose in the administering of His grace to all humanity; and they were not to be influenced by the vain and wicked ways of worldliness. Even their land was private property in that “there was no such thing as fee–simple, absolute ownership of real estate. The land of Israel belonged to God. A person in the tribe of Manasseh or Benjamin or whatever could be assigned to occupy land during his lifetime and had a life interest that could then be passed on to proper heirs, but a person in the house of Israel could not sell his land on the open market to a non–Israelite without there being a right of redemption, so that any other person in the tribe could come and redeem that land.” They were to stand as a “separate” (Alma 5:57) people manifesting to the greatness and holiness of God. “For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth” (Deut. 14:2).
Israel as a nation is one consisting of a heavenly royalty in all its holy heritage. It is even as Peter says to the Israel in his day: “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people. . .” (1 Peter 2:9). Elder Bruce R. McConkie states that:
Whenever the Lord has a people on earth he offers to make them a nation of kings and priests–not a congregation of lay members with a priest or a minister at the head–but a whole Church in which every man is his own minister, in which every man stands as a king in his own right, reigning over his family–kingdom. The priesthood which makes a man a king and a priest is thus a royal priesthood (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3:294).John the Beloved, upon the island of Patmos, reminds Israel that the Lord “hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father. . .” (Rev. 1:6). As was mentioned before, the nation of Israel is prepared and used by the Lord to lead and guide the rest of mankind to salvation.
W. J. Cameron, a man of wise words, once stated one of the most profound explanations as to why God uses and separates a distinct people with a distinct responsibility. This statement, in my opinion, is to be regarded as a basic standard to those of us who live now with the responsibility of Israel. To me, this statement answers any question as to why God works in this way. He says:
A man will rise and demand, ‘By what right does God choose one race or people above another?’ I like that form of question. It is much better than asking by what right God degrades one people beneath another, although that is implied. God’s grading is always upward. If he raises up a nation, it is that other nations may be raised up through its ministry. If he exalts a great man, an pertinent of liberty or science or faith, it is that He might raise a degraded people to a better condition. The divine selection is not [alone] a prize, a compliment paid to the man or race–it is a burden imposed. To appoint a Chosen people is not a pandering to the racial vanity of a ‘superior people,’ it is a yoke bound upon the necks of those who are chosen for a special service.Now it must be understood that while Israel enjoyed these special blessings, it was open unto the gentile people, or those not of the lineage of Israel, for an opportunity of union as God’s covenant people. When a gentile joined Israel, they were known as a proselyte. The ceremony of admission included circumcision, baptism, and a sacrifice. They were expected to observe the whole Mosaic law. Proselytes of this kind were probably very few in number. The Jews seemed to show zeal towards them (Matt. 23:15). There were other gentiles who attended services and yet only observed part of the ceremonial law. They were known as “God-fearing” or “devout” gentiles. This unification with Israel is absolutely pertinent to the salvation of the gentile people and expresses what the prophetic Noah had said–that “Japheth. . . shall dwell in the tents of Shem” (Gen. 9:27).
The answer for today would be: The Lord hath made [Israel] great for what He is going to make [Israel] do.
Thus, Israel’s importance as a special people of God is absolutely imperative, not only unto themselves but to all the nations of the world. Brigham H. Roberts illustrates an impressive meaning of what the mission of Israel was (and is):
“This was the mission given to Israel by his revealed religion: to testify to the reality of God; that He is Creator of the heavens and of the earth, and all things that in them are; that He is the Eternal Cause of events within the universe.
To testify to the unity of God, but a unity arising from harmonized personal Intelligences: each the incarnation of the One God Nature. And yet such a unity as will warrant the prophet’s ringing message, ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord. . . God is one Lord’ (Deut. 6:4). For Israel and for this world there is no other.This
"To testify of the definite form of God–of all Divine Intelligences, who are but incarnations of the One God Nature; that man was made in the vary image and likeness of God; and that man possesses this form of God, as well as the moral qualities, mind, or intelligence, and a will.
"To testify that men are ‘the children of the Most High.’ That a redemption was promised through a Messiah, that was to come, and who would ‘save that which was lost’ (Luke 19:10) through disobedience to law: that the original innocence of man might be regained; and redemption from physical death would be secured through resurrection from the dead.
THE SCATTERINGS.
A captured city was usually plundered and burnt to the ground, and its site was deliberately denuded by killing its trees. The loyalty of the troops was secured by dividing a large part of the spoils among them; their bravery was ensured by the general rule of the Near East that all captives in war might be enslaved or slain. Soldiers were rewarded for every severed head they brought in from the field, so that the aftermath of a victory generally witnessed the wholesale decapitation of fallen foes. Most often the prisoners, who would have consumed much food in a long campaign, and would have constituted a danger and nuisance in the rear, were dispatched after the battle; they knelt with their backs to their captors, who beat their heads in with clubs, or cut them off with cutlasses. Scribes stood by to count the number of prisoners taken and killed by each soldier, and apportioned the booty accordingly; the king, if time permitted, presided at the slaughter. The nobles among the defeated were more special treatment: their ears, noses, hands and feet were sliced off, or they were thrown from high towers, or they and their children were beheaded, or flayed alive, or roasted over a slow fire. . .
that after they [Judah] has served Nebuchadnezzar and his posterity, and after they had undergone that servitude seventy years, he [the Lord] would restore them again to the land of their fathers, and they should build their temple, and enjoy their ancient prosperity; and these things God did afford them; for he stirred up the mind of Cyrus, and made him write this throughout all Asia:–‘Thus saith Cyrus the King:–Since God Almighty hath appointed me to be king of the habitable earth, I believe that he is that God which the nation of the Israelites worship; for indeed he foretold my name by the prophets; and that I should build him a house at Jerusalem, in the country of Judea.’
Israel is dispersed among all the nations of the earth; the blood of Ephraim is mixed with the blood of all the earth. Abraham’s seed is mingled with the rebellious seed through the whole of mankind.
THE SECOND GATHERING.
The gathering of Israel consists of joining the true church; of coming to a knowledge of the true God and of his saving truths.
‘I will bring them. . . a great company shall return thither.’ This was something the Lord was going to do. Note that Jeremiah does not say that they will return hither, or the place where this prediction was made, but thither, or to a distant place. He understood that Joseph was to be given a new land I the ‘utmost bound of the everlasting hills.’
All that the prophets that have written, from the days of righteous Abel, down to the last man that has left any testimony on record for our consideration, in speaking of the salvation of Israel in the last days, goes directly to show that it consists in the work of the gathering.
One of the most important points in the faith of the Church of the Latter-day Saints, through the fullness of the everlasting Gospel, is the gathering of Israel (of whom the Lamanites constitute a part)–that happy time when Jacob shall go up to the house of the Lord, to worship Him in spirit and in truth, to live in holiness; when the Lord will restore His judges as at the first, and His counselors as at the beginning; when every man may sit under his own vine and fig tree, and there will be none to molest or make afraid; when He will turn to them a pure language, and the earth will be filled with sacred knowledge, as the waters cover the great deep; when it shall no longer be said, the Lord lives that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, but the Lord lives that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither He has driven them. That day is one, all important to all men.
The gathering . . . is as necessary to be observed by believers, as faith, repentance, baptism, or any other ordinance. It is an essential part of the Gospel of this dispensation, as much so, as the necessity of building an ark by Noah, for his deliverance, was a part of the Gospel of his dispensation.
Quite obviously the ‘root of Jesse’ is a man, a descendant of Jesse and Joseph (as the Lord explains), who seems to have a great mission to perform in connection with gathering the remnant of Israel, as explained in Isaiah 11:11-16, I suggest that the ‘rod’ of verse 1 and the ‘root of Jesse’ of verse 10 refer to the same man, Joseph Smith. . .
With respect to Joseph’s lineage, Brigham Young declared he was ‘a pure Ephraimite’ (JD 2:269). However, as Joseph Fielding Smith pointed out, ‘No one can lay claim to a perfect descent from father to son through just one lineage’ (Answers to Gospel Questions 3:61). Therefore, though Joseph’s lineage may be traceable directly back to Ephraim through a given line, of necessity there were intermarriages that took place, making it possible for his descent to have also come from Jesse through his forefather, Judah.
There can be no understanding of the gathering without an understanding of the scattering. If we suppose that the tribes of Israel were scattered for not tending their gardens or for failure to support their local government, then we can suppose that they will be gathered for such reasons. We could suppose that God would restore them to their ancient land that they might beautify it, eat more nutritional meals, and enjoy the protection of the law. But if we understand, as scores of passages attest, that they were scattered because they rejected th Holy One of Israel and broke the everlasting covenant, then we understand that they can be gathered only when they make that covenant anew and return to the God and the faith fo their fathers.
The keys are with Ephraim. It is Ephraim who is to be endowed with power to bless and give to the other tribes, including the Lamanites, their blessings. All the other tribes of Jacob, including the Lamanites, are to be crowned with glory in Zion by the hands of Ephraim.
A prophet is not perfect by any means of the word. He is only a man. But his calling is perfect in every way. This is because his calling is given of God (Heb. 5:4); and God is perfect (3 Nephi 12:48). When a prophet speaks as a prophet according to his calling, he is merely stating or restating what he has seen, felt, or heard as given him by God. This is scripture. In light of this, God cannot ever give opinion because an opinion only exists when there is a lack of full truth; and God does not lack truth. He embraces and embodies all of it (John 14:6). When God speaks, it is always and only truth.
There are sixteen [or fifteen] who are sustained as prophets, seers, and revelators, but that does not mean all of them have equal authority. It means that in that body are those who may become seers as well as prophets and revelators. . . It is not to bethought that every word spoken by the General Authorities is inspired, or that they are moved upon by the Holy Ghost in everything they read and write, now you keep that in mind. I don’t care what his position is, if he writes something or speaks something that goes beyond anything that you can find in the church works, unless that one by the prophet, seer, and revelator––please note that one exception––you may immediately say, 'Well, that is his own idea' (The Place of the Living Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, p. 11, to Seminaries and Institute teachers, July 8, 1964).
THE THEORIES.
Down through the centuries there have been innumerable speculations as to where the lost ten tribes are. These speculations have ranged all the way from a planet somewhere in outer space to exotic hidden places under the ice cap of the Arctic regions. Some have speculated that they went into present-day Europe, and became the various present nations of that continent. Some Church members seek to support this latter idea with the fact that many patriarchal blessings state that an individual is of the tribe of Ephraim (one of those lost), and also because of the great gathering of converts that has taken place since the early history of the Church out of the nations of Europe. (Since Europe is north of Palestine and Assyria in latitude, they feel this geographical location qualifies in the sense of being gathered from the lands of the north).
Lost Tribes hunting is not a “modern pastime.” Early Baptist missionaries to Burma were sure they had found the Lost Ten Tribes in the Red Karens. G. Moore in 1861 was similarly hasty in his decision that the Afghan stock of India represented the whole of the “lost ten tribes.” N. McLeod in 1879 made a like claim for a certain caste among the Japanese. The Abyssinians have been thus classed because of their Judaistic traits. Further south in 1904, the “lost tribes” were to have been discovered among the warrior–Masai by M. Merker. . . .
Joseph Smith was not the first to claim that the American Indians were of Israelitish stock. Father Duran in 1585, Charles Beatty in 1768, James Adair in 1775, Charles Crawford in 1801, Elias Boudinot in 1816, Reverend Ethan Smith in 1825 are but a few who theorized that the Indians were the Lost Ten Tribes. Of course, when the Book of Mormon was published, its believers could readily see that the Lamanites were of Israelitish stock but were not the “lost ten tribes. . . .”
[In another perspective] Asahel Grant in 1841 and Allen H. Godbey in 1930 differed in their tangents but agreed in the main that the “ten tribes” were never lost. Their reasoning is as follows:
A. Nowhere in the Bible is there mention of the ten tribes asa being [specifically] “lost.”
B. After their conquest of Assyria, the Bible does not mention them moving elsewhere.
C. Paul before King Agrippa stated that the “twelve tribes” were serving God night and day. [Acts 26:7]
D. King Agrippa himself according to Josephus exhorted loyalty to the Romans and discouraged the Jews from hoping for help from their fellow–tribes beyond the Euphrates river, because the Parthian would not permit them to leave.
E. James addressed his Epistle to the “twelve tribes” scattered abroad. [James 1:1]
F. Josephus in the first century claimed to have known their location, he said: “. . . the entire body of the people of Israel remained in that country, wherefore there are but two tribes in Asia and Europe subject to the Romans, while the ten tribes are beyond the Euphrates till now, and are an immense multitude, and not to be estimated by numbers.
G. In the fifth century, Jerome treated the dispersed Jews and the ten Tribes with these words: “Unto this day the ten tribes are subject to the kings of the Persians, nor has their captivity ever been loosed.” And again he says, “The ten tribes inhabit at this day the cities and mountains of the Medes.”
And Godbey further stated: At not period has Oriental Judaism admitted that any tribes were lost. The egotism of modern western gentile ignorance invented the theory of lost tribes . . . they promptly and unanimously agreed that the ten tribes of Israel never were lost; they remained in the east, and are there yet.
Grant continued even further and quoted many scriptural references speaking of the return of Israel from Assyria and states that the Nestorians are the only inhabitants of Assyria now, and therefore they must be the ten tribes. Another theory similar to the above but for the purpose of disproving British Israelism, was expounded by Reverend F. W. Pitt. He attempted to show that by intermarriage the ten tribes had amalgamated with the “two tribes” (of the Kingdom of Judah) and in that way had lost their name and distinction.
20 For behold, he shall stand upon the mount of Olivet, and upon the mighty ocean, even the great deep, and upon the islands of the sea, and upon the land of Zion.
21 And he shall utter his voice out of Zion, and he shall speak from Jerusalem, and his voice shall be heard among all people;
22 And it shall be a voice as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder, which shall break down the mountains, and the valleys shall not be found.
23 He shall command the great deep, and it shall be driven back into the north countries, and the islands shall become one land;
24 And the land of Jerusalem and the land of Zion shall be turned back into their own place, and the earth shall be like as it was in the days before it was divided.
25 And the Lord, even the Savior, shall stand in the midst of his people, and shall reign over all flesh.
26 And they who are in the north countries shall come in remembrance before the Lord; and their prophets shall hear his voice, and shall no longer stay themselves; and they shall smite the rocks, and the ice shall flow down at their presence.
27 And an highway shall be cast up in the midst of the great deep.
28 Their enemies shall become a prey unto them,
29 And in the barren deserts there shall come forth pools of living water; and the parched ground shall no longer be a thirsty land.
30 And they shall bring forth their rich treasures unto the children of Ephraim, my servants.
31 And the boundaries of the everlasting hills shall tremble at their presence.
32 And there shall they fall down and be crowned with glory, even in Zion, by the hands of the servants of the Lord, even the children of Ephraim.
33 And they shall be filled with songs of everlasting joy.
34 Behold, this is the blessing of the everlasting God upon the tribes of Israel, and the richer blessing upon the head of Ephraim and his fellows.
35 And they also of the tribe of Judah, after their pain, shall be sanctified in holiness before the Lord, to dwell in his presence day and night, forever and ever.
40 Those are the ten tribes, which were carried away prisoners out of their own land in the time of Osea the king, whom Salmaneser the king of Assyria led away captive, and he carried them over the waters, and so came they into another land.
41 But they took this counsel among themselves, that they would leave the multitude of the heathen, and go forth into a further country, where never mankind dwelt,
42 That they might there keep their statutes, which they never kept int heir own land.
43 And they entered into Euphrates by the narrow passages of the river.
44 For the most High then shewed signs for them, and held the flood, till they were passed over.
45 For through that country there was a great way to go, namely, of a year and a half: and the same region is called Arsareth.
46 Then dwelt they there until the latter time; and now when they shall begin to come,
47 The Highest shall stay the springs of the stream again, that they may go through: there sawest thou the multitude of peace.
By the middle of the nineteenth century, official Mormon discourse had constructed a synthesis of Israelite and Anglo–Saxon identity, partly to establish a Mormon continuity with ancient Israel and partly in response to the calumny coming from the outside world. By the early twentieth century, official discourse had traced this special identity back to premortal times and attributed it to a divine plan. By the end of the century, however, the highest ranking church leaders had left such tribal teachings to languish in disuse, displacing them with the original universalist teachings of the apostle Paul.
debate was marginal to a more central effort to reconcile the idea that Israelite decent conferred distinctive status with the concept that no essential differences existed between Jew and Gentile because “all are alike unto God. . . Those expressing their belief that blood descendants of Israel belonged ispo facto to a spiritual elite cited texts mentioning ‘the covenant which I have sent forth to recover my people, which are of the house of Israel’ (D&C 39:11), while those holding that the elect status depended mainly on faithfulness quoted passages like: ‘The Lord covenants with none save it be with them that repent and believe in his Son’ and ‘All those who receive my gospel are sons and daughters in my kingdom.’
This nation of Israel that was to be “high above all nations of the earth” (Deut. 26:19; 28:1); that should “push the people together to the ends of the earth” (Deut. 33:17); that should “possess the gate of his enemies” (Gen. 22:17); that become “a nation and a company of nations” (Gen. 35:11); that should “lend to many nations and not borrow” and should be the head and not the tail” of the nations (Deut. 28:12, 13); that all other nations should “come to an end” yet should not meet such a fate (Jer. 30:11); that should not “cease from being a nation before the Lord forever” (Jer. 31:36); that should “break into pieces the nations” and “destroy kingdoms” (Jer. 51:20); that in it should “all the families of the earth be blessed” (Gen. 22:18); that a kingly line which was “established forever” (2 Sam. 7:25); that should unite with the house of Judah and it and they “be not more two nations” but be “one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel” with David asa king over them (Ezek. 37:22, 24).
In response the Prophet said, “Come to the door and I will show you, come on Sister Brown, I want you both to see.” While standing under the night sky the Prophet said, “Brother Brown can you show me the Polar Star?”
“Yes, sir,” Brother Brown said as he pointed to the North Star.
The Prophet said, “Do you discern a little twinkler to the right and below the Polar Star, which we would judge to be about the distance of 20 feet from here?” Both Brother and Sister Brown agreed that they did. Then the Prophet said in conclusion, “Very well then, let’s go in.”
When they reentered the home, the prophet asked to see Brother Brown’s copy of the Doctrine and Covenants. As he retrieved it, the prophet turned to the 133rd section and read from the 26th to the 31st verse and then said, “now let me ask you what would cause the Everlasting Hills to tremble with more violence than the coming together of the two planets. And the place whereon they reside will return to this Earth.” He further said that science will tell otherwise, “that two planets coming together would be disastrous to both; but, when two planets or other objects are traveling in the same direction and one of them with a little greater velocity than the other, it would overtake the other. Now, what would cause the mountains of ice to melt quicker than the heat caused by the friction of the two planets coming together?”
Joseph continued: “And relative to the Great Highway which should be cast up when the planet returns to its place in the great Northern Waters, it will form a highway and waters will receed [recede] and roll back. Now as to their coming back from the Northern Waters; they will return from the north because their planet will return to the place from whence it was taken.”
The prophet related this to swinging a vessel of water around ones head. If you swing it rapidly you won’t spill any, but if you slow it down the water will begin to spill out. He said, “Brother Brown, at the present time this earth is rotating very rapidly. When this planet returns it will make the earth that much heavier, and it will then revolve slower, and that will account for the waters receding from the earth for a great while.”
This segment was taken from a book by Robert W. Smith entitled The Last Days, page 77-80.
When asked by Benjamin Brown’s grandmother (on a different occasion from the one previously mentioned with the Prophet) about where she received this information for her hymn, Eliza R. Snow replied, “Why, my husband (the prophet Joseph Smith) told me about it” (The Last Days by Robert W. Smith, pages 77-80).
“The prophet Joseph once in my hearing advanced his opinion that the Ten Tribes were separated from the Earth; or a portion of the Earth was by a miracle broken off, and that the Ten Tribes were taken away with it, and that in the latter days it would be restored to the Earth or be let down in the Polar regions. Whether the prophet founded his opinion upon revelation or whether it was a matter of mere speculation with him, I am not able to say.”
THE RECORDS.
Hugh Nibley once said:
“It was a spiritual covenant that God made with Abraham, a covenant centering in obedience, missionary work, the gospel of salvation, and the promise of eternal life. The great issue was not where Abraham lived. But how he lived. A land of inheritance is simply an earthly token, a reminder of the eternal rewards awaiting those who honor their covenants. It is appropriate that if Abraham or his seed break those covenants, the token–the land promised them–would be taken from them. When they return to the living of those covenants, then and only then should they be returned to that land that symbolizes their obedience.”
Elder Orson Pratt states:
Tame Olive Tree: The House of Israel.
Nibley states:
“Young and tender branches” (verse 6) – Seems to refer to the emergence of a righteous element of the house of Israel, this in the midst of gross wickedness.
“Main top thereof began to perish” (verse 6) – The older generation of Israel, steeped in sinful traditions, had become comfortable in their iniquity (1000 B.C.–A.D. 30). The main top’s perishing, as in other scriptures, [may also] symbolize the death of the nation as a political entity (Ezekiel 31:1–14).
“It grieveth me that I should lose this tree” (verse 7) – The Lord Jehovah has a special love for his people Israel. They distinguished themselves in premortality and came to earth through a designated royal lineage.
“Wild olive tree . . . graft them in” (verse 9) – Those who are not naturally of the house of Israel–persons who are true Gentiles, who are not descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob–may, through the ordinances of the gospel and through entrance into the true Church, be adopted into the house of Israel.
“Cast into the fire and burn them” (verse 9) – This verse may be pointing historically to the destruction and scatterings of Israel at the hand of the Assyrians (721 B.C.) and Babylonians (587 B.C.). (See Isaiah 7:17–18; 2 Kings 17:18–23; 18:9–11; Jeremiah 25:8–11.)
“I will graft them” (verse 8) – To be grafted is to come to the knowledge of the true Messiah, join the true Church, and gather where the Saints of God are assembled in that day (see 1 Nephi 10:14). Perhaps grafting here refers to Israelites joining other nations, while planting may refer to groups such as Lehi’s that were led off and relocated. (See 2 Nephi 10:22.)
“The nethermost part of my vineyard” (verse 13) – Scores of prophecies announce that Israel will be scattered to the four quarters of the earth.
“That I may preserve . . . the natural branches” (verse 13) – This scattering and gathering is undertaken to accomplish one major objective: to preserve those natural branches of the tree–those Israelites by birth who have demonstrated their loyalty and faithfulness (italics added to original).
“According to his will and pleasure” (verse 14) – The Lord’s “will and pleasure” is closely tied to his “work and glory.” God–he who knows all things from the beginning–places individuals and groups in locations and circumstances which will maximize their potential for growth and spiritual development. . .
“Perhaps I might preserve the roots” (verse 11) – The metaphor of “the roots” is ambiguous but may refer to the blood of Israel and the influence of that blood throughout the earth. The Assyrians, and to a lesser extent the Babylonians, transferred peoples from other parts of their empire to replace those whom they exiled from their lands. Assyria and Babylon did so to Israel, bringing foreign nations to occupy the promised land almost entirely vacated by Israel (2 Kings 15:29; 17:24–41; 25:25–26). The Samaritans who thus came into being serve as a type of the lineage mingled with the nations. Though literal descendants of Israel, they are “wild” by nature because of their largely Gentile identity.
“The fruit thereof was like unto the natural fruit” (verse 17) – After true conversion; after baptism of water and of the Spirit; after dross and iniquity have been burned out of the human soul as though by fire; and thus after one is adopted into the house of Israel–when these things have happened there is no distinction between Israelite and Gentile, no separation of spiritual states, no difference in ultimate rewards. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:27–29).
“Taken hold of the moisture of the root” (verse 18) – That is, they had partaken of those living waters of gospel truth (see John 4:14) available through God’s covenant with Abraham and his posterity.
“If we had not grafted, . . . the tree . . . would have perished” (verse 18) – Converts–those from within and without the house of Israel–are the life blood of the Church in any age. Their holy enthusiasm, zeal for righteousness, and childlike innocence and submission are ever an immense strength to the Church itself.
“This long time have we nourished this tree” (verse 31) – The Lord’s patience with the house of Israel, his tender regard, his eagerness to gather her unto the true fold–all these things witness that God simply will not let Israel go. The cry of martyrs and the blood of testators have ascended again and again to the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth in behalf of Abraham’s descendants. So much effort. So much labor. So many tears.
“It profiteth me nothing” (verse 32) – False religions, regardless of the depth of their sincerity or the fervor of their zeal, can never bring man and women to that point of faith whereby they can hold on eternal life. They are broken cisterns which cannot hold the waters of life. The finite cannot give birth to the infinite. Only eternal truths bring eternal rewards.
“The tree . . . and the roots thereof profit me nothing” (verse 35) – Lineage is almost insignificant when righteousness is absent. Of what value to be of a noble family when one is not noble? Israel cannot be a light to the world (see Isaiah 49:6; D&C 86:11) while she herself stands in the darkness.
“The roots are good” (verse 36) – To the missionaries of the latter days the Lord has said: “Ye are called to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect,” for, the Lord explained, “mine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts” (D&C 29:7). For theirs was a “believing blood.”
“What then is a believing blood? It is the blood that flows in the veins of those who are the literal seed of Abraham–not that the blood itself believes, but that those born in that lineage have both the right and a special spiritual capacity to recognize, receive, and believe the truth” (A New Witness for the Articles of Faith by Bruce R McConkie pages 38–39).
“I also cut down that which cumbered this spot” (verse 44) – Reference here is to the destruction of the Jaredite nation. See Ether 15; Moroni 9:23.
“I have stretched forth mine hand almost all the day long” (verse 47) – In the book of Isaiah, the hand of the Lord is a prophetic metaphor that denotes an individual–the Lord’s servant.
“Is it not the loftiness of thy vineyard . . . the branches . . . grew faster than the strength of the roots” (verse 48) – A great cause of universal apostasy was none other than the universal sin – Pride. Taking strength to oneself implies alienation and wickedness (Psalms 52:1–9; Isaiah 10:13). Trees that grow faster than their roots are susceptible to changes in temperature and soil conditions, often resulting in defective fruit, withering, and disease.
Elder Carlos E. Asay observed:
“Our personal vineyards become lofty and produce strange fruits when we polish only the ‘outer vessel’ of our lives and allow the ‘inner’ to rot away. I refer to people who perform religious rituals to receive the acclaim of congregations rather than the approval of conscience. I refer to those who become so immersed in administrative and management affairs that they have little time to read, pray, and ponder of the affairs of God. Such persons allow the branches to overcome the roots in their lives” (“Rooted and Built Up in Christ,” in The Old Testament and the Latter–Day Saints, page 13).
“We will trim up the branches” (verse 58) – The trimming of the branches of the olive tree in the last days must surely refer to the cleansing and purifying of the Saints of God, the preparing of the bride for the Bridegroom. Sanctification is a refining process, usually a lengthy transformation whereby a man or woman begins to shed carnal cares and worldly whims and put on the attributes and character of Christ their Lord.
“Those branches which are ripened” (verse 58) – The Lord will cut off from his Church those branches of Israel–individuals and groups–who have ripened in iniquity, those who might have proven to be a chosen people but refused to make proper choices.
“Grafted. . . into their mother tree” (verse 60) – The announcement that Israel is to be grafted into “their mother tree” affirms that the promises embrace literal blood lines. The promise given to Abraham was that it would be the “literal seed, or the seed of [his] body,” who, in the last days, would hold the priesthood and bear the responsibility to take the message of salvation to all nations (Abraham 2:9, 11). Such are “lawful heirs, according to the flesh” (D&C 86:9; 103:17–18; 132:30–32).
“They shall be one” (verse 68) – This identifies celestial persons: those who are “one” are one with God (John 17:21–23).
“The Lord of the vineyard also labored with them” (verse 72) – President Harold B. Lee spoke the following penetrating words as he closed a general conference:
“There has come to me in these last few days a deepening and reassuring faith. I can’t leave this conference without saying to you that I have a conviction that the Master hasn’t been absent from us on these occasions. This is his church. Where else would he rather be than right here at the headquarters of his church? He isn’t an absentee master; he is concerned about us. He wants us to follow where he leads.” (CR, October 1972, page 176.)
“They did keep the root and the top thereof equal, according to the strength thereof” (verse 73) – This is denoting a balance between spiritual and political power.
“Natural fruit . . . most precious unto him from the beginning” (verse 74) – Israel has been dear to the heart of Jehovah, not only since her mortal inception in the days of the great patriarchs but also from those premortal times when they distinguished themselves by faithfulness and qualified thereby to tabernacle the flesh through a royal lineage.
“For a long time” (verse 76) – The “long time” spoken here is the Millennium, a period of one thousand years.
“My vineyard will I cause to be burned with fire” (verse 77) – This is a reference to the cleansing and final celestialization of the earth, a time wherein the earth is purged of all that is of a lesser order than the very glory of God the Father. The earth will be burned to prepare for celestial glory. It may be interesting to note of why a burning. For one obvious reason is that fire is known to utterly cleanse and eventually purify.
But another reason is even more interesting. It is in reference to a scripture found in the Doctrine and Covenants 130:7–9:
CONCLUSION.
THE END
_______________________________________
Many scriptures address the question of lineage directly (which is indicative of its importance), but only a relatively few selected ones can be listed here; pay particular attention to those marked with an asterisk:
Ephesians: Eph. 1:10.
“The great majority of those who become members of the Church are literal descendants of Abraham through Ephraim, son of Joseph.” (Improvement Era, Oct. 1923, p. 1149.)
Only the Righteous Are Heirs of Abraham (Vol. 3, pg. 249-250)
This is in answer to in whom, of father Abraham’s seed, is the Covenant active.
“It should be remembered that in the days of Rehoboam, son of Solomon, 10 of the 12 tribes of Israel revolted and were known as the kingdom of Israel from that time on until they were carried away into Assyria. The other two tribes of Judah and Benjamin remained loyal to Rehoboam and were known as the kingdom of Judah. Lehi was a citizen of Jerusalem, in the kingdom of Judah. Presumably his family had lived there for several generations, and all of the inhabitants of the kingdom of Judah, no matter which tribe they had descended through, were known as Jews.
2. Why did the Jews look for a Savior who would at that time wipe out the Roman power and give them control when they were unfit to use it because of their dogmatism?
3. Why, in 1833, did the Mormons in Jackson County look for the Ten Tribes to come at that time and deliver them by overthrowing the Missouri mobocrats?
4. Why, when the Saints came here, did many of them refuse to build substantial homes because they thought they were going right back to Zion?
5. Why do some people say, the Ten Tribes will come and “bring their own records with them?” I have heard that preached thousands of times, but have never found a man who could produce that statement authoritatively, or anything like it. Where is it recorded?
6. Did the Jews bring with them the record of the Savior’s life and visits as recorded in the New Testament? Or did other people than the Jews gather and preserve that record, while the Jews as a people decried it?
7. Did the Nephites, Lamanites, or American Indians bring the record of the Savior’s visit on this continent? Or did somebody else get it when it had been hidden up? Would these same Lamanites, or early adventurers after the discovery of America, have destroyed it, had they got hold of it?
8. Then, what basis of comparison have we for saying that the Ten Tribes, or any part of them today, have knowledge and possession of the record of the Savior’s visit to them, at this time, or for centuries past?
9. I have read somewhere that the Lord said that “teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” was “an abomination” in His sight. Is it any less an “abomination” when this teaching is by mystery–loving Mormons than by mystery–loving sectarian preachers who are deceiving the people thereby?
10. Some people assert that the Ten Tribes have with them some other Church than the one of which you and I are members, and have “their prophets” with them in that organization. Then what are you going to do with the Lord’s statement in Doc. & Cov. Sec. 1, verse 30, respecting the Mormon Church, that it is “the only true and living Church upon the face of the whole earth?”
11. If the Ten Tribes, other than us, have “their prophets” with them, why do they have to come to Ephraim–that is, to the Mormon Church, to get their blessings?
12. Who is the prophet to Israel scattered to “the four parts of the earth?” Does not the Doctrine and Covenants, 110:11, say it is Joseph Smith, to whom was given the keys for that calling?
13. Are not the other prophets the thousands of such officers, missionaries and others, who have received their priesthood keys through Joseph Smith?
14. Who is the prophet to lead “the Ten Tribes from the land of the north?” Does not the Doctrine and Covenants, 110:11, say it is Joseph Smith, to whom was given the keys of that leading?
15. Are not the Elders of Israel, members of the tribe of Ephraim, who was one of the Ten Tribes and of the leading tribe thereof in all ages–which Elders have received their keys and calling from Joseph Smith, who had those keys–prophets to the Ten Tribes for the “leading” of whom they have the keys?
16. When the Lord told Joseph Smith (Sec. 133:25) that “they who are in the north countries shall come in remembrance,” did not Joseph Smith know that the “north countries” are northern America, northern Europe, and northern Asia? Didn’t the Lord know as much?
17. Are the Elders of Israel, with the divine prophetic calling which they bear, leading the tribe of Ephraim, the chief of the ten, from these same north countries? Is not this an actual opening of “the leading of the ten tribes from the land of the north” in fulfilment of the mission divinely assigned to the prophet Joseph Smith? The leading of the chief tribe of the ten, from the days of the Prophet Joseph until now, is an indisputable fact. Is not that fact a definite assurance of the following in due time of the remaining nine tribes, his fellows, to receive their blessings “by the hands of the servants of the Lord, even the children of Ephraim,” the leading tribe of the ten upon whom is “the richer blessing?”
18. Is not Ephraim being gathered, “two of a family and one of a city” from among his fellow tribes in these same north countries?
19. Is not Ephraim as we gather him, altogether of the Anglo–Saxon race? And are we not impelled to look for Ephraim’s fellow tribes in the same race as that from which he comes?
20. Does not the Anglo–Saxon race, including even those of that race in northen Russia, such as Finland, Latvia, Esthonia and north Siberia, own all of the “north country” on earth?
21. You probably know that in Israel came the blessing of Abraham that in him and his seed should “all the nations of the earth be blessed.” Was the promise ever made to any other than this part of the Abrahamic race? Was it made to Ishmael, Esau, or Midian?
22. Were the Twelve Tribes divided into “two nations” (1 Kings 11:29–35; 12:16–20, 24), one known in the Bible as Judah and Jews, the other as Israel, Joseph, Ephraim, and the “seed of Isaac?”
23. Has not the Lord persistently recognized this as the only division of the chosen race–two nations?
24. Does He not say (Ezek. 37:22), that in the latter days they still are “two” nations in His sight, and that in the latter days they shall be “one nation,” and “they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all?”
25. Is not the tribe of Manasseh, to which Lehi belonged, one of the tribes assigned to the ten–tribed nation of Israel, or Joseph, or Ephraim, or seed of Isaac, as it is variously termed in the Bible?
26. Have you read the quotations by St. Paul, of this separate branch or nation of Israel, “In Isaac shall thy seed be called?” Have you noted that the sons of Judah, or Judah’s sons, in name, has evolved to the common name Jews; while the sons of Isaac, or Isaac’s sons, has evolved into Saac–sons, or Saxons in conformity with the predictions in Genesis and in the New Testament?
27. Have you noted that the “sons of Ephraim” in the Bible is applied both to the tribe of Ephraim, and the nation of Israel, or Joseph, or Ephraim, and that on page 670 of the Discourses of Brigham Young, now being used by the Priesthood quorums [in the year 1927], he says of the sons of Ephraim, “They are the Anglo–Saxon race?”
28. Have you noted that when the Ten Tribes–those who have not been called out as of Ephraim–shall come to Ephraim for their blessings, “they shall bring forth their rich treasures” (Doc. & Cov. 133:30), not their records?
29. What race has got the rich treasures? What race owns and controls, say four–fifths of all the coal, the oil, the gold, the industrial wealth, the arable land, etc., of the earth? Is it not those who have the “rich treasures” who will bring them?
30. Who said that when “the mountains of ice flow down at their presence,” the Ten Tribes must be viewing those mountains from the peak of the North Pole, and not from the land south, and from which they may look forward?
31. Who said that when the sea is “driven back into the north countries,” the lands of the north shall not be brought to the south, and “the land of Jerusalem and land of Zion be turned back into their own place” (Doc. & Cov. 133:24), to the condition existing before the earth was divided, and the ice be melted by the warmth of the temperate zone?
32. Who said the “mountains of ice” should be melted by the Ten Tribes looking at them, instead of by the Lord’s power, when the mountains shall flow down at His presense?
33. Have the Jews preserved their identity, by mixing only to a limited degree with other races? Hasn’t the Anglo–Saxon race done the same? Doesn’t the Englishman, the Scandinavian, the German, the Anglo–Saxon American, as a race, feel himself superior to the other races–“the head and not the tail” (Deut. 28:13)?
34. Isn’t the Anglo–Saxon race a distinct people with their chief center of power in “the north countries,” yet is at the same time scattered or “pushed together to the ends of the earth” (Deut 33:17)?
35. I know the quoting of the hymn on page 386 of the L. D. S. Hymn Book [perhaps pre–1905], and the saying that Joseph Smith saw and approved it. The same hymn contains the statement how in the grave the “martyred Joseph lies,” showing that it was written after the Prophet’s death. But aside from that, is not President Brigham Young in the statement I have quoted from p. 670, almost as good an authority as the hymn, especially when it is known that no two people were closer than the Prophet Joseph and President Young in discussing doctrines?
36. The Doctrine and Covenants, Sec. 103:17, says of us, “Ye are the children of Israel, and of the seed of Abraham.” How many of those who discuss the subject believe that is true? Did we come from the Anglo–Saxon race, and did Joseph Smith himself?
37. The Doctrine and Covenants also says “As your fathers were led at the first,” etc. (Sec. 103:18). How were they led, as a single tribe of Ephraim or less, or as a body of tribes; and was it by the authority of the Holy Priesthood?
38. Are the times of the Gentiles fulfilled? Jerusalem is no longer “trodden down” (Luke 21:24), hence is not this the Day of Israel, when people are divinely led to discuss the very subject of your letter?
39. Do we believe the Book of Mormon, which says “the more part of all the tribes which have been led away” are “upon the isles of the sea,” especially referring to the western and northern coasts of Europe, but precisely what specific locality Nephi did not then know? (1 Nephi 22:4).
40. Do we believe they will come from the “north and the west” (there is no word for northwest in Hebrew, so north and west mean northwest) (Isa. 49:12), and realize that the British Isles are northwest from Palestine? Whence came the nation that delivered Jerusalem form the Gentiles Osmali dynasty (the body of the Turks being of Esau)?
41. Do we note that the opening of the Doctrine and Covenants (v. 1), separates the “islands of the sea” from the nations, as is done in several places in that book and in the Book of Mormon?
42. Do we realize that the Roman power never crossed the Rhine, or went more than a few miles north of the Black Sea, or into north Scotland, and hence that the “north country” referred to in the Bible was the great “unknown north” covering more than half of Europe? Are we alive to history and to current events in the line of fulfilling prophecy, ancient and modern (Doc. & Cov. 88:79)?
Brough, Clayton R. The Lost Tribes. Bountiful: Horizon Publishers & Distributors, Inc., 1994.
Browning, Paul K. "Gathering Scattered Israel Then and Now." Ensign. Salt Lake City: Intellectual Reserve, Inc., July 1998.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–day Saints.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–day Saints.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, 2001: "Anglo–Saxon," United States, 2001. Available at: http://www.bartleby.com/65/an/AnglSxs.html (cited 01/29/03).
McConkie, Bruce R. The Millennial Messiah. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., [FINISH]
McConkie, Bruce R. Mormon Doctrine. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, Inc., 1979.
McConkie, Jospeh Fielding, Millet, Rrobert L. Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, Volume II – Jacob through Mosiah. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, Inc., 1988
McConkie, Joseph Fielding. "Scriptural Search for the Ten Lost Tribes and Other Things We Lost." BYU, Annual Religious Education Faculty Summer Lecture, June 1987.
Nibley, Hugh W. Lehi in the Desert. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., [FINISH]
Nibley, Hugh W. "The Meaning of the Temple." Temple and Cosmos. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1992.
Nibley, Hugh W. Since Cumorah. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., [FINISH]
Taylor, John. The Government of God. [FINISH]
Thompson, G. Forest. Greetings Between Judah and Joseph. [FINISH]
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