In the Tenth Article of Faith, it reads: "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 the Earth will be renewed and receive its paradisaical glory." The Gathering of Israel is a fairly complex subject. I'll give a little background to put it all in perspective. Jacob was a grandson of Abraham, who was promised through a covenant with God that his seed would be the chosen people of the Lord. Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel, had twelve sons, who, after some shuffling around and adding in his grandsons, became the Twelve Tribes of Israel. In the course of history, these tribes failed to live up to their covenants and were scattered. Only the tribes of Benjamin and Judah remained intact, while the others were driven out and lost, becoming the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel. Although they were lost, God promised that they would be restored. "And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase." (Jer. 23:3) This is the dispensation that the Lost Tribes will be gathered. The Keys to the Gathering of Israel were given to Joseph Smith by the Prophet Moses in the Kirtland Temple in 1836.
The physical Gathering of Israel will not be complete until the Second Coming, and on into the Millennium, Until then, we gather in the Stakes of Zion, rather than in one physical location. Those Stakes of Zion are, of course, the Church and her Stakes. So then, how do we gather Israel into the Stakes of Zion? That answer is easy- missionary work. As people become converted to the truth, receive the ordinances of the Church and keep the associated covenants, they become heirs to the covenant of Abraham, and by extension, members of the House of Israel. Missionary work brings in hundreds of thousands of people into the Stakes of Zion every year. There are many tools at our disposal as we seek to bring others to the truth, not least of which is our own personal testimony. We also have support from the ward or branch, activities, Sunday meetings, and many other things that allow others to feel the spirit and gain a testimony. One stands above all the others, however. That is the scriptures. There are two passages that show the relationship between the scriptures and the Gathering of Israel. The first is in 2 Nephi 29, where Nephi is prophesying about those who will not believe the Book of Mormon on the grounds that the Bible is enough. he says:
6Thou fool, that shall say: A bible, we have got a Bible, and we need no more Bible. Have ye obtained a Bible save it were by the Jews?
7Know ye not that there are more nations than one? Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the islesof the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath; and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth?
8Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word? Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also...
13And it shall come to pass that the Jews shall have the words of the Nephites, and the Nephites shall have the words of the Jews; and the Nephites and the Jews shall have the words of the lost tribes of Israel; and the lost tribes of Israel shall have the words of the Nephites and the Jews.
14And it shall come to pass that my people, which are of the House of Israel, shall be gathered home unto the lands of their possessions; and my word also shall be gathered in one. And I will show unto them that fight against my word and against my people, who are of the Houseof Israel, that I am God, and that I covenanted with Abraham that I would remember his seed forever
As Nephi said, when the people of the Jews have the words of the Nephites, or the Book of Mormon, and the Nephites have the words of the Jews, or the Bible, and when we have both, the The Lord will gather his people in. "When the two nations run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also." (v. 8)
Another passage that talks about this is Ezekiel 37, which most of us are familiar with as the prophecy about the two Sticks, meaning the Bible and the Book of Mormon. In it, Ezekiel says,
16Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:
17And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.
19Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.
In ancient Israel books of scripture were written on scrolls rather than the form we are familiar with today, and these scrolls were wrapped around sticks. The stick of Judah then represents the Bible, which came from the Jews, the lineage of Judah, and the stick of Joseph represents the Book of Mormon, which was written by the descendants of Joseph. In verse 17 it says they will be one in thine hand. This is literally fulfilled now as we have both of these books combined in one set. In verse 19, the Lord says he will make them one in mine hand. He is here speaking of the Gathering of the separated tribes into one unit, into his hand. From these two scriptures it is clear that having the scriptures is vital to gathering Israel. As the Lord said to Nephi, his work is not yet finished, and this is the reason we have the Book of Mormon as well as the Bible. (see 2 Nephi 29: 9) This is one of the most important reason why we even have the scriptures, not only to learn from, but to teach from. They are the way we will succeed in our missionary labors. In conclusion, I would just like to say that I have really found the power of the Scriptures on my mission, and when I made the connection between these two passages of scripture it changed the way I look at my mission and all missionary work in general. I hope that I'm not the only one who understood all this, thanks for powering through such a long post.
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